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Abstract Background The effect of immunosuppression on clinical manifestations and outcomes was unclear in elderly patients with CAP. Methods Elderly hospitalised patients with CAP were consecutively enrolled and were divided into immunocompromised hosts (ICHs) or non-ICHs groups. Clinical manifestations, severity, and outcomes were compared. The logistic regression model was used to determine the association between immunosuppression and outcomes. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Results A total of 822 patients were enrolled, of whom 133 (16.2%) were immunocompromised. There were no differences between the two groups in vital signs, oxygenation, admission laboratory tests, need for mechanical ventilation and intensive care unit admission, except for a lower lymphocyte count in the ICH group (0.9*10^9/L, IQR 0.6–1.3*10^9/L [ICH group] vs. 1.2*10^9/L, IQR 0.8–1.7*10^9/L [non-ICH group]; p 0.05). After adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities, immunosuppression was significantly associated with a higher risk of 30-day mortality (odds ratio 5.004, 95% CI [2.618–9.530]). Conclusions Immunosuppression was independently associated with an increased risk of 30-day mortality. CURB-65 may underestimate the mortality risk of ICHs.

Abstract Multistage horizontal fracturing technology of reservoirs has been widely used to enhance tight hydrocarbon resource recovery. Determining the proper perforation cluster spacing is crucial to developing a complex fracture network that connects natural rock fractures and facilitates gas flow in reservoirs. The stress shadow effect that occurs between multiple clusters has a significant effect on the development of the fracture network in reservoirs. The quantification of the stress shadow effect and its influences on the development of fracture networks has not been resolved satisfactorily due to experimental and numerical difficulties with detecting and identifying crack propagation and intersection in deep reservoirs. In this study, we used an adaptive finite element-discrete element method to analyze crack propagation and intersection in tight shale reservoirs by altering perforation spacings and fracture sequences. The effects of five perforation cluster spacings using sequential, simultaneous and parallel fracturing techniques were compared. The non-linear properties of shales, hydromechanical coupling and fluid leak-off effects, proppant transport, dual-rupture criteria of strength and energy, and intersection of hydraulic fractures were taken into account in the simulation. The areas affected by the stress shadow and the optimum perforation cluster spacing in terms of hydraulic fracture propagation lengths, volumes, and microseismic magnitudes were evaluated when adopting different fracturing methods. This study extends the understanding of the impact of the different independent factors that contribute to the stress shadow effect and, therefore, provides new information to help guide wellbore completion design in horizontal fracturing wells.

Abstract Heatwaves (HWs) pose a severe threat to human and ecological systems. Here we assess the projected changes in heatwaves over Latin America using bias corrected high-resolution regional climate simulations under two Representative Concentration Pathway scenarios (RCPs). Heatwaves are projected to be more frequent, long-lasting, and intense in the mid-century under both RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 scenarios, with severe increases under the RCP8.5 scenario. Even under the low emissions scenario of RCP2.6, the frequency of heatwaves doubles over most of the region. A three- to tenfold rise in population exposure to heatwave days is projected over Central and South America, with climate change playing a dominant role in driving these changes. Results show that following the low emission pathway would reduce 57% and 50% of heatwave exposure for Central and South American regions respectively, highlighting the need to control anthropogenic emissions and implement sustainable practices.

Abstract Abundantly available plants, animals, and microbes are excellent source of active substance to be used as fruit preservatives to delay postharvest fruit from decay, maintain good quality, and increase the shelf life. Although they are effective and free from toxicological risks, the use of the natural active products in agriculture is still limited due to the high cost of producing, complexity interaction in food matrix, and unacceptance of odor. This review focuses on employing naturally occurring bioactive compounds as an alternative to the synthetic preservatives used in fruit. For this purpose, natural compounds from abundantly available source, such as plants, animals, and microbes, are systematically described for their properties, mechanism of action, and applicability. Different postharvest handling of bioactive compounds and mechanism of their triggered/controlled release properties are discussed, especially with regard to challenge and future directions of these new strategy to preserve fruit in industry. This review offers a fundamental theory and technologies to develop the efficient and safe alternative strategies to synthetic fruits preservatives. Overall, the utilization of natural preservative techniques offers promising opportunities to maintain quality and extend shelf life of fruit, with potential applications in various industries such as vegetables, meat, and processed food.

Abstract Microstructural changes in conductive materials induced by electric current treatments, such as electromigration and electroplasticity, are critical in semiconductor and metal processing. However, owing to the inevitable thermal effect (Joule heating), the athermal effect on microstructural modifications remains obscure. This paper presents an approach of utilizing pre-micromachined structures, which obstruct current flow but maintain a thermal history similar to that of the matrix, effectively disentangling the thermal and athermal effects. A duplex stainless-steel material is selected to validate the feasibility of this method. Microstructural characterizations show that the athermal effect, especially the electron wind force (EWF), primarily governs the element diffusion and phase transformation in this study. Moreover, many σ phases (Cr-enriched) are precipitated in the micromachined structures, whereas no precipitation occurred in the matrix, suggesting that the directional EWF disrupts the Cr aggregation caused by Joule heating. Furthermore, we present a critical formula for determining the dimensions of micromachined structures of commonly used metallic materials. The proposed method may serve as an effective and powerful tool for unveiling the athermal effect on microstructural alterations.

This study investigates the inhibitory effects of high-density pulsed electric current (HDPEC) treatment on fatigue crack initiation in directionally solidified nickel-based superalloy. Experiments were conducted under fully reversed conditions (R = -1) using low-cycle fatigue tests to assess the impact of HDPEC on crack initiation. The distribution of misorientation at different stages before and after crack initiation of untreated and HDPEC-treated samples was analyzed through kernel average misorientation maps by electron backscatter diffraction method. The results demonstrate that the HDPEC treatment significantly delays the initiation life of cracks, extending from approximately 2000 cycles to 5000 cycles. Additionally, the average fatigue life of the samples increased from 3851 cycles to 10881 cycles, more than doubling the fatigue life. Furthermore, the formation of persistent slip markings on the surface of the HDPEC-treated samples was completely suppressed, indicating changes in the persistent slip band’s structure. This phenomenon led to a distinct pattern of crack formation and propagation compared to untreated samples, suggesting that HDPEC treatment effectively alters the pattern of crack initiation and propagation by homogenizing dislocation distribution and alleviating residual stresses caused by cyclic loading. The result confirms the potential of HDPEC technology to enhance the fatigue life of nickel-based superalloys, and underscores the potential for further research in this domain.

Abstract Background Vancomycin-associated acute kidney injury (VA-AKI) is the most clinically relevant side effect of vancomycin. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between VTC and VA-AKI as well as 30-day mortality in critically ill elderly adults. Method Elderly patients with trough serum vancomycin concentration records(VTC) in the Medical Information Mart-IV (MIMIC-IV) and eICU databases were retrospectively studied. Results A total of 3,146 critically ill elderly adults were finally enrolled. The incidence of VA-AKI in the elderly population was 76.5%. Logistic regression analysis revealed significant relationships between VA-AKI and various factors, including VTC, comorbidities, and laboratory indicators, and SOFA, and GCS score. For each mg/L increase, the OR for VA-AKI increased by 2.5%. The association between VTC and 30-day mortality was found to be statistically significant (odds ratio (OR): 1.021, 95% CI: 1.010–1.031), P 6, patients with baseline creatinine > 1.2 mg/dl and patients with or without exposed to other nephrotoxic medications. Conclusion This study found the significant association between VTC and the incidence of VA-AKI and 30-day mortality in critically ill elderly adults. The RCS curves indicated concentration ranges for AKI (19.67–35.72 mg/L) and 30-day mortality (19.17–42.86 mg/L), signifying increased risk.

During deep coal mining processes, periodic mining disturbances cause the neighboring coal strata to bear the effects of cyclic loading and unloading, making it essential to study the mechanical responses and macro-micro failure characteristics of the coal-rock composite structures under different cyclic loads. In this study, three different loading rates were selected to perform uniaxial cyclic compression tests (with simultaneous acoustic emission signal measurement) under two types of cyclic loads, investigating the damage characteristics of coal-rock composites. Based on the principle of energy dissipation, an energy-damage constitutive model for the cyclic loading of composites was constructed and validated with experimental data. The results indicate that the loading rate is directly proportional to the peak strength of the composite specimen, where the peak stress increased by 22.44% and 28.89% for the gradual cyclic loading and unloading path (path I) and the cyclic loading and unloading path (Path II) respectively. The higher the loading rate, the faster the internal crack extension in the specimen, the crushing degree of the coal component in the coal-rock composite specimen is intensified, and the fractal dimension increases subsequently, and the faster the internal crack extension in the specimen becomes. With the increase of the loading rate, the damage along the matrix in the coal fraction increases. The paths with a large span of cyclic gradation (Path I) contribute to stress transfer within the specimen and provide favorable conditions for the development of cracks within the specimen, leading to a higher degree of damage in the corresponding specimen. The consistency between the test curves and the energy-damage constitutive model curves is relatively high, indicating that the proposed energy-damage constitutive model can well describe the deformation behavior of the coal-rock composite specimens during cyclic loading and unloading processes.

Abstract Background Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) infection has become a major public health concern. The recommendations for monotherapy and combination therapy in the current guidelines lack sufficient evidence to support them. The primary objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of anti-Infective combination therapy compared to monotherapy in achieving clinical success in patients with CRPA infection and risk factors of clinical failure of monotherapy. Methods A retrospective study from Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) was conducted. We included adults with infections caused by CRPA. The outcomes of this study were clinical success, complete clinical success, and 28-day all-cause mortality. Results A total of 279 subjects were finally enrolled. The rate of clinical success for combination therapy was higher than that for monotherapy (73.1% versus 60.4%, p=0.028). Compared to clinical failure patients, patients in the clinical success group were more likely to die within 28 days after CRPA was found (48.3% versus 3.6%, p

Metallic materials are widely employed due to their exceptional mechanical attributes. Plastic deformation is a common issue that influences both the mechanical and electrical properties, with profound implications for the longevity of engineered structures and components. Dislocation density is the core factor in the plastic deformation process. Traditional methods for the evaluation of dislocation density include electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and x-ray diffraction (XRD), requiring meticulous specimen preparation and sophisticated equipment posing challenges for industry-wide fitness-for-service (FFS) monitoring. To address these challenges, a non-contact method to quantitatively evaluate the dislocation density in stainless steel 316L (SUS316L) by employing a microwave reflection method is reported in this study. A dedicated microwave measurement system, coupled with a coaxial line sensor, was used to measure the amplitude of the reflection coefficient of the microwave signal at a constant standoff distance and frequency, closely associated with the electrical resistivity of the SUS316L specimens, a parameter that exhibits variation in response to changes in dislocation density. The results indicate a proportional increase in the amplitude of the microwave signal with higher dislocation density. By establishing a linear correlation, we demonstrate the feasibility of evaluating dislocation density with a minimum detectable difference of 1.824 × 1013 m-2 using the dedicated microwave system under the designed conditions in this study. This approach holds promise for better understanding and monitoring of plastic deformation in metallic materials across various applications.

Crack initiation stress and crack damage stress are two critical indices for assessing the fracture strength of rock mass. However, understanding the stress characteristics of crack initiation and damage under triaxial compression remains still immature. To address this problem, by acoustic monitoring, i.e. ultrasonic wave transmission and acoustic emission (AE), the integrated triaxial compression experiments were carried out on granitic specimens. The crack initiation and damage stresses were determined by wave velocity, wave amplitude and AE methods, respectively. The discrepancy of stresses for crack initiation and damage identified by these methods were examined. Results showed that the confinement affected the peak stress and corresponding strain, and these two parameters increased with increasing confining pressure. The ultrasonic wave velocity and wave amplitude first increased and then remained relatively stable, and finally decreased with increasing axial compressive stress. The number of AE events stayed at a relatively low extent until axial stress approached the peak; after that, the AE accumulative counts skyrocketed to the maximum. It also shows that for a given confinement, the stresses for crack initiation and damage identified by the wave amplitude method were the smallest, followed those by AE method and wave velocity method. Moreover, the stresses for crack initiation and crack damage identified by these methods increased generally with confining pressures. However, the rate of increment of these two crack stresses decreased with increasing confining pressure. In addition, the slight decrease in these two crack stresses ratios was noticed with increasing confining pressure. The findings are helpful to understand the crack stresses of deep rocks, in terms of support of deep underground engineering.

Over the past 2 decades, cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been identified as the root cause of cancer occurrence, progression, chemoradioresistance, recurrence, and metastasis. Targeting CSCs is a novel therapeutic strategy for cancer management and treatment. Liver cancer (LC) is a malignant disease that can endanger human health. Studies are increasingly suggesting that changes in the liver mechanical microenvironment are a primary driver triggering the occurrence and development of liver cancer. In this review, we summarize current understanding of the roles of the liver mechano-microenvironment and liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs) in liver cancer progression. We also discuss the relationship between the mechanical heterogeneity of liver cancer tissues and LCSC recruitment and metastasis. Finally, we highlight potential mechanosensitive molecules in LCSCs and mechanotherapy in liver cancer. Understanding the roles and regulatory mechanisms of the mechano-microenvironment and LCSCs may provide fundamental insights into liver cancer progression and aid in further development of novel therapeutic strategies.

Although persistent or recurrent COVID-19 infection is well described in some immunosuppressed patient cohort, to date, there have been no reports of this phenomenon in the context of repeatedly negative SARS-CoV-2 testing in the upper respiratory tract. We reported six patients with follicular lymphoma who developed recurrent symptomatic COVID-19 infection. They tested persistently negative for SARS-CoV-2 on pharyngeal swabs and ultimately confirmed by bronchoalveolar lavage fluid metagenomics next-generation sequencing. All six patients presented with lymphopenia and B-cell depletion, and five of them received the anti-cluster of differentiation 20 treatment in the last year. Persistent fever was the most common symptom and bilateral ground-glass opacities were the primary pattern on chest computed tomography. A relatively long course of unnecessary and ineffective antibacterial and/or antifungal treatments was administered until the definitive diagnosis. Persistent fever subsided rapidly with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir treatment. Our case highlighted that recurrent COVID-19 infection should be suspected in immunocompromised patients with persistent fever despite negative pharyngeal swabs, and urgent bronchoalveolar lavage fluid testing is necessary. Treatment with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir appeared to be very effective in these patients.

Abstract The influence and mechanism of porous structure on the deformation failure of cement sheaths under hydraulic pressure is still unclear. To solve this problem, a net slurry cement sheath and a liquid silicon cement sheath were prepared by using a cement material and a liquid silicon suspension. The distributions of the pore radius and spatial location were analyzed using computed tomography scanning and statistics to obtain their probability density distribution functions. Based on the distribution functions, the single-layer and double-layer porous reconstruction models of the net slurry cement sheath and liquid silicon cement sheath were constructed using a FLAC 3D program. A series of numerical simulations were conducted to study the deformation failure of the cement sheaths under in situ stress and hydraulic pressure. The effects of the porous and double-layer structures on the breakdown pressure, plastic failure zone, radial deformation, and stress distribution of the cement sheaths were analyzed. As a result, the mechanisms for the influence of the porous and double-layer structures on the failure mode, failure path, and interaction between the cement sheath and metal casing were revealed. The results of this research provide a theoretical basis for an in-depth understanding of the failure mechanisms of porous cement sheaths.

In this study, soy protein isolate (SPI) films incorporating quercetin-grafted dialdehyde starch (DAS-QR) and DAS/QR, respectively, were developed. The structural, physical, and functional properties of the composite films were determined. The results suggested that DAS-QR and DAS/QR formed hydrogen bonding with the SPI matrix, which improved the structural properties of the films. The light-blocking capacity, thermal stability, hydrophobicity, tensile strength, elongation at break, and antioxidant and antibacterial abilities of SPI films were improved by DAS-QR and DAS/QR. Notably, SPI films incorporated with DAS-QR exhibited better performance than those with DAS/QR in terms of antioxidant (SPI/DAS-QR: 79.8% of DPPH and 62.1% of ABTS scavenging activity; SPI/DAS/QR: 71.4% of DPPH and 56.0% of ABTS scavenging activity) and antibacterial abilities against S. aureus (inhibition rate: 92.7% for SPI/DAS-QR, 83.4% for SPI/DAS/QR). The composite coating film SPI/DAS-QR effectively maintained appearance quality, delayed the loss of weight and total soluble solids, postponed malondialdehyde accumulation, and decreased peroxidase activity and microbial contamination in fresh-cut potatoes. These good performances highlight SPI/DAS-QR as a promising active packaging material for fresh-cut product preservation.

IntroductionGiven the rapid geographic spread of dengue and the growing frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall events, it is imperative to understand the relationship between these phenomena in order to propose effective interventions. However, studies exploring the association between heavy rainfall and dengue infection risk have reached conflicting conclusions, potentially due to the neglect of prior water availability in mosquito breeding sites as an effect modifier.MethodsIn this study, we addressed this research gap by considering the impact of prior water availability for the first time. We measured prior water availability as the cumulative precipitation over the preceding 8 weeks and utilized a distributed lag non-linear model stratified by the level of prior water availability to examine the association between dengue infection risk and heavy rainfall in Guangzhou, a dengue transmission hotspot in southern China.ResultsOur findings suggest that the effects of heavy rainfall are likely to be modified by prior water availability. A 24–55 day lagged impact of heavy rainfall was associated with an increase in dengue risk when prior water availability was low, with the greatest incidence rate ratio (IRR) of 1.37 [95% credible interval (CI): 1.02–1.83] occurring at a lag of 27 days. In contrast, a heavy rainfall lag of 7–121 days decreased dengue risk when prior water availability was high, with the lowest IRR of 0.59 (95% CI: 0.43–0.79), occurring at a lag of 45 days.DiscussionThese findings may help to reconcile the inconsistent conclusions reached by previous studies and improve our understanding of the complex relationship between heavy rainfall and dengue infection risk.

Abstract Individual tree structure mapping in cities is important for urban environmental studies. Despite mapping products for tree canopy cover and biomass are reported at multiple spatial scales using various approaches, spatially explicit mapping of individual trees and their three-dimensional structure is sparse. Here we produced an individual tree dataset including tree locations, height, crown area, crown volume, and biomass over the entire New York City, USA for 6,005,690 trees. Individual trees were detected and mapped from remotely sensed datasets along with their height and crown size information. Tree biomass in 296 field plots was measured and modelled using i-Tree Eco. Wall-to-wall tree biomass was mapped using relationships between field measurements and remotely sensed datasets and downscaled to individual trees. Validation using field-plot measurements indicated that our mapping products overestimated tree number, mean tree height and maximum tree height by 11.1%, 8.6%, and 5.3%, respectively. These overestimations were mainly due to the spatial and temporal mis-match between field measurements and remote sensing observations and uncertainties in tree segmentation algorithms. This dataset enables the evaluation of urban forest ecosystem services including regulating urban heat and promoting urban health, which can provide valuable insights for urban forest management and policy making.

Abstract Transparent physical models of real rocks fabricated using three-dimensional (3D) printing technology are used in photoelastic experiments to quantify the evolution of the internal stress and deformation fields of rocks. Therefore, they are rendered as an emerging powerful technique to quantitatively reveal the intrinsic mechanisms of rock failure. The mechanical behavior of natural rocks exhibits a significant size effect; however, limited research has been conducted on whether transparent physical models observe similar size effects. In this study, to make the transparent printed models accurately demonstrate the mechanical behavior of natural rocks and reveal the internal mechanism of the size effect in rock mechanical behavior, the size effect in 3D printed models of fractured and porous rocks under uniaxial compressive loading was investigated. Transparent cylindrical models with different sizes that contained different fractured and porous structures were printed using the fracture and porous characteristics extracted from natural coal and sandstone. The variation in uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus of fractured and porous models for increasing model sizes were obtained through uniaxial compression experiments. Finally, the influence of internal discontinuous structural features, such as fractures and pores, on the size effect pertaining to the mechanical behavior of the model was analyzed and elaborated by comparing it with the mechanical properties of the continuous homogeneous model without fractures and pores. The findings provided support and reference to analyze the size effect of rock mechanical behavior and the effect of the internal discontinuous structure using 3D printed transparent models.

Green vegetation may protect against heat-related death by improving thermal comfort. Few studies have investigated associations of green vegetation with heat-related mortality in Latin America or whether associations are modified by the spatial configuration of green vegetation. We used data from 323 Latin American cities and meta-regression models to estimate associations between city-level greenness, quantified using population-weighted normalized difference vegetation index values and modeled as three-level categorical terms, and excess deaths from heat (heat excess death fractions [heat EDFs]). Models were adjusted for city-level fine particulate matter concentration (PM2.5), social environment, and country group. In addition to estimating overall associations, we derived estimates of association stratified by green space clustering by including an interaction term between a green space clustering measure (dichotomized at the median of the distribution) and the three-level greenness variable. We stratified analyses by climate zone (arid vs. temperate and tropical combined). Among the 79 arid climate zone cities, those with moderate and high greenness levels had modestly lower heat EDFs compared to cities with the lowest greenness, although protective associations were more substantial in cities with moderate versus high greenness levels and confidence intervals (CI) crossed the null (Beta: −0.41, 95% CI: −1.06, 0.25; Beta −0.23, 95% CI: −0.95, 0.49, respectively). In 244 non-arid climate zone cities, associations were approximately null. We did not observe evidence of effect modification by green space clustering. Our results suggest that greenness may offer modest protection against heat-related mortality in arid climate zone Latin American cities.

Earth system models (ESMs) are a common tool for estimating local and global greenhouse gas emissions under current and projected future conditions. Efforts are underway to expand the representation of wetlands in the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) Land Model (ELM) by resolving the simultaneous contributions to greenhouse gas fluxes from multiple, different, sub-grid-scale patch-types, representing different eco-hydrological patches within a wetland. However, for this effort to be effective, it should be coupled with the detection and mapping of within-wetland eco-hydrological patches in real-world wetlands, providing models with corresponding information about vegetation cover. In this short communication, we describe the application of a recently developed NDVI-based method for within-wetland vegetation classification on a coastal wetland in Louisiana and the use of the resulting yearly vegetation cover as input for ELM simulations. Processed Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS) datasets were used to drive the sub-grid composition of simulated wetland vegetation each year, thus tracking the spatial heterogeneity of wetlands at sufficient spatial and temporal resolutions and providing necessary input for improving the estimation of methane emissions from wetlands. Our results show that including NDVI-based classification in an ELM reduced the uncertainty in predicted methane flux by decreasing the model’s RMSE when compared to Eddy Covariance measurements, while a minimal bias was introduced due to the resampling technique involved in processing HLS data. Our study shows promising results in integrating the remote sensing-based classification of within-wetland vegetation cover into earth system models, while improving their performances toward more accurate predictions of important greenhouse gas emissions.

Measurement(s) urban green space Technology Type(s) remote sensing • volunteered geographic information • supervised machine learning Sample Characteristic - Environment city Sample Characteristic - Location Argentina • Brazil • Chile • Colombia • Costa Rica • El Salvador • Guatemala • Mexico • Nicaragua • Panama • Peru

Bone age assessment (BAA) from hand radiographs is crucial for diagnosing endocrinology disorders in adolescents and supplying therapeutic investigation. In practice, due to the conventional clinical assessment being a subjective estimation, the accuracy of BAA relies highly on the pediatrician's professionalism and experience. Recently, many deep learning methods have been proposed for the automatic estimation of bone age and had good results. However, these methods do not exploit sufficient discriminative information or require additional manual annotations of critical bone regions that are important biological identifiers in skeletal maturity, which may restrict the clinical application of these approaches. In this research, we propose a novel two-stage deep learning method for BAA without any manual region annotation, which consists of a cascaded critical bone region extraction network and a gender-assisted bone age estimation network. First, the cascaded critical bone region extraction network automatically and sequentially locates two discriminative bone regions via the visual heat maps. Second, in order to obtain an accurate BAA, the extracted critical bone regions are fed into the gender-assisted bone age estimation network. The results showed that the proposed method achieved a mean absolute error (MAE) of 5.45 months on the public dataset Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and 3.34 months on our private dataset.

Efficient, safe, and environmentally friendly methods for the low-carbon utilization of coal are required to exploit this resource as a source of cleaner energy. Tar-rich coal can produce a high volume of oil and is abundant in western China. Currently, tar-rich coal is mostly combusted for power generation, which results in wastage of valuable oil resources and serious environmental pollution. Researchers have focused on achieving zero or near-zero carbon emissions while alleviating damage and pollution to geological formations when mining coal resources. In particular, the use of an intelligent unmanned automatic mining machine (UAMM) integrating microwave pyrolysis technology for the in situ mining and conversion of coal into oil and gas has been proposed. However, to date, studies on the microwave pyrolysis of tar-rich coal for the efficient extraction of oil are lacking. In this study, we outline the state-of-the-art developments in the microwave treatments of coal. The principles and advantages of microwave heating compared with traditional heating methods are discussed. Further, current research and applications of microwave-assisted coal processing are reviewed. We also discuss the challenges and future developments in the field of the microwave-based pyrolysis of coal. This report provides a reference for the application of microwave technology to in situ mining, pyrolysis, and conversion of tar-rich coal into liquid energy resources based on a UAMM.

To reduce environmental impacts caused by traditional coal recovery, an in situ fluidized mining method based on the earthworm-like intelligent unmanned automatic mining machine (IUAMM) has been proposed, which achieves safe, efficient, and low-carbon exploitation of coal resources. The recovery of abundant thick-seam coal as a clean energy source is important for achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions in China before 2060. In this study, we discuss the applicability of IUAMM-based fluidized mining technology to thick-seam coal recovery, and its potential impacts on geological formations and the environment, by evaluating mining-induced stress effects on coal fracture and water migration. A promising approach combining high-resolution X-ray computed tomography and in situ triaxial loading techniques is developed to explore three-dimensional (3-D) fracture evolution and water migration in fractured coal subjected to variable geostresses induced by fluidized mining. We characterize the morphologies and connectivity of 3-D fractures at various geostress stages and quantify the effects of fracture network evolution on the water permeability of fractured coal. Simultaneous fracture growth and closure caused by stress variations is also analyzed. The results indicate that the increase in water permeability induced by the fluidized mining method is smaller than that induced by traditional mining methods. Therefore, the in situ fluidized mining method can help reduce damage to rock formations and achieve green coal recovery.

The quantitative characterization of the full-field stress and displacement is significant for analyzing the failure and instability of engineering materials. Various optical measurement techniques such as photoelasticity, moiré and digital image correlation methods have been developed to achieve this goal. However, these methods are difficult to incorporate to determine the stress and displacement fields simultaneously because the tested models must contain particles and grating for displacement measurement; however, these elements will disturb the light passing through the tested models using photoelasticity. In this study, by combining photoelasticity and the sampling moiré method, we developed a method to determine the stress and displacement fields simultaneously in a three-dimensional (3D)-printed photoelastic model with orthogonal grating. Then, the full-field stress was determined by analyzing 10 photoelastic patterns, and the displacement fields were calculated using the sampling moiré method. The results indicate that the developed method can simultaneously determine the stress and displacement fields.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most lethal leukemia with an extremely poor prognosis and high relapse rates. In leukemogenesis, adhesion abnormalities can readily guide an imbalance between hematopoietic progenitor cells and bone marrow stromal cells, altering the normal hematopoietic bone marrow microenvironment into leukemic transformation that enhances leukemic proliferation. Here, we have firstly studied the PLEKHA7 expression in leukemic cells to assess their growth capability affected by the restoration of PLEKHA7 in the cells. The efficacy of PLEKHA7-loaded cRGD-mediated PEGylated cationic lipid nanoparticles for efficient PLEKHA7 delivery in leukemic cells as well as the effect of PLEKHA7 on the regulated induction of AML behavior and growth alterations were investigated. PLEKHA7 re-expression diminished colony-forming ability and reinforced the incidence of growth retardation without apoptosis in AML cell lines. PLEKHA7 regulated the restoration of cell surface adhesion and integrity during normal homeostasis. Our findings revealed that PLEKHA7 functions as a behavior and growth modulator in AML. To our knowledge, the role of PLEKHA7 in AML had not been studied previously and our data could be exploited for further mechanistic studies and insights into altering human AML behavior and growth.

Cross-talk between tumor cells and mechanical stress in the tumor microenvironment has been shown to be involved in carcinogenesis. High mechanical stress in tumors can alter the metabolism and behaviors of cancer cells and cause cancer cells to attain cancer stem-like cell properties, thus driving tumor progression and promoting metastasis. The mechanical signal is converted into a biochemical signal that activates tumorigenic signaling pathways through mechanotransduction. Herein, we describe the physical changes occurring during reprogramming of cancer cell metabolism, which regulate cancer stem cell functions and promote tumor progression and aggression. Furthermore, we highlight emerging therapeutic strategies targeting mechanotransduction signaling pathways.

Abstract Background Circaea mollis Sieb. & Zucc. has been used as a traditional herbal medicine in Hani Ethnopharmacy and possesses anti-arthritic activities. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Circaea mollis Siebold & Zucc on postmenopausal osteoporosis. Methods For in vitro study, MCF7 breast cancer cells and MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblast cells were utilized to estimate estrogenic and osteogenic activity. Osteoblastic markers were measured by western blot and real-time PCR. For in vivo study, female mature C57BL/6 mice were ovariectomized and oral administrated with 10 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg of EECM respectively. Results EtOH extract of Circaea mollis Siebold & Zucc. (EECM) increased alkaline phosphatase activity and osteoblast marker levels at day 7 during differentiation of mouse preosteoblasts. EECM reduced osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption in an osteoblast-osteoclast primary co-culture system. In ovariectomized mice, EECM prevented the decrease in bone mineral density and recovered OSX and Runx2 via BMP2/4, Smad1/5/9 and p38. Conclusions The results suggest that EECM may be effective in preventing bone loss, offering a promising alternative for the nutritional management of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

The paper firstly analyzes the formation mechanism of signal reflection in signal integrity, lists several typical waveforms of signal reflection ,and then puts forward the main measures to eliminate signal reflection. It focuses on the analysis of termination matching and the effective measures to be taken under different topologies, and gives the simulation verification of signal integrity combined with engineering cases.

Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) C. Jeffrey, a perennial vine of the Cucurbitaceae family, is a unique medicine food homology species from China. S. grosvenorii can be used as a natural sweetener in the food industry and as a traditional medicine for moistening the lungs, quenching a cough, smoothing the intestines, and relieving constipation. Additionally, the fruits, roots, stems, and leaves of S. grosvenorii are rich in active ingredients, and have pharmacological effects such as immune regulation, hypoglycemia, and antioxidant, hepatoprotective, and antitumor effects, etc. Therefore, S. grosvenorii has broad application prospects in the pharmaceutical industry. This paper reviews the bioactive components, pharmacological effects, and extraction methods of S. grosvenorii, summarizes them, and proposes their future development directions. This current overview highlights the value of S. grosvenorii. By documenting the comprehensive information of S. grosvenorii, the review aims to provide the appropriate guidelines for its future in-depth development and the utilization of S. grosvenorii resources for their roles as active ingredient (triterpenoids, flavonoids, and polysaccharides, etc.) sources in the food industry and in the development of functional foods.

Abstract The concept of stability is central to the study and sustainability of vital ecosystem goods and services as disturbances increase globally. While ecosystem ecologists, including carbon (C) cycling scientists, have long‐considered multiple dimensions of disturbance response, our discipline lacks an agreed‐upon analytical framework for characterizing multidimensional stability. Here, we advocate for the broader adoption of a standardized and normalized multidimensional stability framework for analyzing disturbance response. This framework includes four dimensions of stability: the degree of initial change in C fluxes (i.e., resistance); rate (i.e., resilience) and variability (i.e., temporal stability) of return to pre‐disturbance C fluxes; and the extent of return to pre‐disturbance C fluxes (i.e., recovery). Using this framework, we highlight findings not readily seen from analysis of absolute fluxes, including trade‐offs between initial and long‐term C flux responses to disturbance; different overall stability profiles among fluxes; and, using a pilot dataset, similar relative stability of net primary production following fire and insect disturbances. We conclude that ecosystem ecologists’ embrace of a unifying multidimensional stability framework as a complement to approaches focused on absolute C fluxes could advance global change research by aiding in the novel interpretation, comprehensive synthesis, and improved forecasting of ecosystems’ response to an increasing array of disturbances.

Quantitative visualization of the full-field stress and strain in porous structures is of significance to reveal the mechanism of the damage and failure of engineering materials. To quantitatively characterize the full-field stresses and strains, optical measurement methods, such as photoelasticity for determining the stress fields, moiré and digital image correlation (DIC) methods for measuring the strain fields, have been developed in previous works. However, it is challenging to combine these methods to measure stress and strain fields simultaneously because the speckles and gratings for strain measurement will disturb the interference fringes in the photoelasticity. In this study, a method incorporating photoelasticity and DIC techniques was developed to determine the stress and strain fields simultaneously in different porous structures which were fabricated by three-dimensional (3D) printed technique. The tested models were printed with a highly transparent, colourless material and the speckles on the front surface of the tested models were printed with a translucent, magenta material. Under compressive loads, the stress fields in these models were obtained based on the photoelastic patterns and the strain fields were determined by DIC method. The results indicate the proposed method can simultaneously determine the full-field stresses and strains and the comparison of the distribution of the principal stress and strain difference and the distribution of the shear stress and strain verified its good accuracy. In addition, the stress and strain distribution in different pore structures were compared and found that the optimal design of the pore distribution can greatly change the concentration of the stress and strain fields.

In this study, the Liu–Murakami (LM) creep damage-coupled model was considered to evaluate the creep properties of martensitic stainless steel. The degree of creep damage was examined at two temperatures (565 ℃ and 593 ℃) to assess mechanically and thermally activated processes. A series of high applied stresses (applied stress/ultimate strength > 0.5) was considered for accelerated creep loadings. A full set of creep constants was determined by combining the Norton and LM models. Constitutive equations were used to quantitatively estimate experimental creep curves. The variation in creep constants was discussed based on stress sensitivity, such as stress triaxiality and applied stress, depending on the power of stress. The creep strain–time curves were successfully estimated. The comparison between the experimental and analytical results was in good agreement in the tertiary regime. In addition, the compensation of the two applied temperatures provides a supplementary explanation of the relationship between the ultimate strength and rupture time in terms of temperature sensitivity. The analytical results show that different applied stresses and temperatures could be compensated to characterize the creep behavior of the material. Thus, the creep strain–time and creep strain rate–certain rupture time curves were finally achieved. The analytical process in this study provides a laboratory-scale assessment of creep properties using the accelerated creep test and LM model.

Abstract Traditional coal mining and utilisation patterns are severely detrimental to natural resources and environments and significantly impede safe, low-carbon, clean, and sustainable utilisation of coal resources. Based on the idea of in situ fluidized coal mining that aims to transform solid coal into liquid or gas and transports the fluidized resources to the ground to ensure safe mining and low-carbon and clean utilisation, in this study, we report on a novel in situ unmanned automatic mining method. This includes a flexible, earthworm-like unmanned automatic mining machine (UAMM) and a coal mine layout for in situ fluidized coal mining suitable for the UAMM. The technological and economic advantages and the carbon emission reduction of the UAMM-based in situ fluidized mining in contrast to traditional mining technologies are evaluated as well. The development trends and possible challenges to this design are also discussed. It is estimated that the proposed method costs approximately 49% of traditional coal mining costs. The UAMM-based in situ fluidized mining and transformation method will reduce CO2 emissions by at least 94.9% compared to traditional coal mining and utilisation methods. The proposed approach is expected to achieve safe and environmentally friendly coal mining as well as low-carbon and clean utilisation of coal.

Metabolic abnormalities as side effects of androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) can accelerate progression of prostate cancer (PCa) and increase risks of cardiovascular diseases. A healthy dietary pattern (DP) plays an important role in regulating glycolipid metabolism, while evidence about DP on ADT-related metabolic abnormalities is still controversial. To explore the effect of DP on metabolic outcomes in PCa patients with ADT, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and CINAHL were searched from inception to 10 September 2022. Risk of biases was evaluated through Cochrane Collaboration’s Tool. If heterogeneity was low, the fixed-effects model was carried out; otherwise, the random-effects model was used. Data were determined by calculating mean difference (MD) or standardized MD (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Nine studies involving 421 patients were included. The results showed that healthy DP significantly improved glycated hemoglobin (MD: −0.13; 95% CI: −0.24, −0.02; p = 0.020), body mass index (MD: −1.02; 95% CI: −1.29, −0.75; p < 0.001), body fat mass (MD: −1.78; 95% CI: −2.58, −0.97; p < 0.001), triglyceride (MD: −0.28; 95% CI: −0.51, −0.04; p = 0.020), systolic blood pressure (MD: −6.30; 95% CI: −11.15, −1.44; p = 0.010), and diastolic blood pressure (MD: −2.94; 95% CI: −5.63, −0.25; p = 0.030), although its beneficial effects on other glycolipid metabolic indicators were not found. Additionally, a healthy DP also lowered the level of PSA (MD: −1.79; 95% CI: −2.25, −1.33; p < 0.001). The meta-analysis demonstrated that a healthy DP could improve ADT-related metabolic abnormalities and be worthy of being recommended for PCa patients with ADT.

Background: Greenness has been found to be associated with reduced mortality and morbidity and improved wellbeing, with recent evidence further linking it to narrower health inequalities. However, results come mostly from high-income countries and thus might not be generalisable to other settings. In this preliminary analysis, we address this gap by examining whether education inequalities in life expectancy in Latin American cities vary by area-level greenness. Methods: We used data from the Salud Urbana en America Latina (SALURBAL) study. The analysis sample included 28 large cities in nine Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, and El Salvador), comprising 671 sub-city units (>10 per city), for the period 2012–16. We used sub-city data on life expectancy, education (percentage of residents with high school or university education, as an indicator for socioeconomic status), and greenness (as calculated by the satellite image-derived normalised difference vegetation index). We used multilevel linear models of sub-cities nested within cities, with country fixed effects to predict life expectancy by education, greenness, and their interaction, while accounting for covariates at the city and sub-city levels. Findings: Higher education was associated with higher life expectancy in both sexes (men: standardised regression coefficient b=0·51 [95% CI 0·36–0·65]; women: 0·34 [0·23–0·45]), whereas increased area-level greenness was associated with higher life expectancy among men (0·39 [0·03–0·75]). The educational gradient in life expectancy was steeper in greener areas for both sexes (men: b for interaction=0·20 [0·08–0·32]; women: 0·15 [0·05–0·24]). Interpretation: Contrary to evidence from high-income countries, our initial results from Latin America suggest education disparities in life expectancy might increase with greater levels of green space. Given the already wide intra-urban inequalities in Latin American cities, and the sparse and unequal distribution of urban green spaces, greening policies need to make a concerted effort to ensure that unequal access to green spaces does not exacerbate existing health inequalities. Funding: Wellcome Trust (205177/Z/16/Z).

Whether oil emplacement and diagenetic sequences provoke, deteriorate, or have no effect on pore network evolution, as implied by recent tests and theoretical analysis, are critical factors in forecasting hydrocarbon exploration and development potentials. Therefore, a systematic investigation on the effect of oil emplacement of tight sandstones is conducted to study the importance of this behavior on the pore evolution path. This study evaluated the role played by oil emplacement and diagenesis in the pore network evolution of Upper Triassic tight sandstones in the Ordos Basin. To help provide a comprehensive understanding, we have used a multidisciplinary method including physical properties, casting thin section, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, fluorometric, and inclusion analysis. The results demonstrate that the sandstones could be divided into four groups based on new criteria: calcareous sandstone, high soft component sandstone, low soft component sandstone with continual oil emplacement, and low soft component sandstone with intermittent oil emplacement. The physical properties of those types of sandstones were gradually reduced. Quartz cement captured hydrocarbon, carbonate captured hydrocarbon, free hydrocarbon, and adsorbed hydrocarbon were the four main kinds of hydrocarbons. The maturity of those sandstones was decreased progressively, indicating that the formation time of those hydrocarbons was favorable to maturity. Four stages of oil emplacement happened, and large-scale emplacement mainly occurred in the late Jurassic and early Craterous. The evidence demonstrated that tight sandstones’ high porosity could be attributed to positive diagenetic contributions with a complex interplay of chemical compaction, early formed clays, and large-scale oil emplacement. This work would provide new sights for a better understanding of the tight oil accumulation modes, and the findings could be applied in the hydrocarbon exploration and development field.

Aiming at the problem that it is difficult to balance the speed and accuracy of human behaviour recognition, this paper proposes a method of motion recognition based on random projection. Firstly, the optical flow picture and Red, Green, Blue (RGB) picture obtained by the Lucas-Kanade algorithm are used. Secondly, the data of optical flow pictures and RGB pictures are compressed based on a random projection matrix of compressed sensing, which effectively reduces power consumption. At the same time, based on random projection compression data, it can effectively find the optimal linear representation to reconstruct training samples and test samples. Thirdly, a multichannel 3D convolutional neural network is proposed, and the multiple information extracted by the network is fused to form an output recognizer. Experimental results show that the algorithm in this paper significantly improves the recognition rate of multicategory actions and effectively reduces the computational complexity and running time of the recognition algorithm.

This work studies the coupled problems of electromigration (EM)- and thermomigration (TM)-induced anomalous atomic flows through experiments for demonstrating EM and TM tests and the theoretical formulation describing the atomic behavior. A two-dimensional unpassivated Au interconnect, having a protrusion nose area where atoms are accumulated, was used for observing hillock formation under current stressing and heating of the substrates. The hillock formation locations depend on the experimental conditions, including current density and temperature involved with the driving forces of EM and TM. The relationship between coupling the EM- and TM-induced driving forces was clarified through the experimental observation of the hillock formation location and the proposition of the equilibrium current density. Considering the magnitude relationship of the EM- and TM-induced driving forces, it was proved that an equilibrium current density, below or above which EM or TM is dominant, respectively, exists. The theoretical equilibrium current density was formulated to estimate the equilibrium state of EM and TM, deducing the behavior of hillock formations by EM and TM. Hillocks form at the nose edge due to EM-induced forward flow in the case of lower current density and higher temperature. Conversely, hillocks form at an area slightly away from the nose end due to TM-induced backward flow in the case of higher current density and lower temperature.

Natural wetlands are intrinsically heterogeneous and typically composed of a mosaic of ecosystem patches with different vegetation types. Hydrological and biogeochemical processes in wetlands vary strongly among these ecosystem patches. To date, most remote sensing classification approaches for wetland vegetation either rely on coarse images that cannot capture the spatial variability of wetland vegetation or rely on very-high-resolution multi-spectral images that are detailed but very sporadic in time (less than once per year). This study aimed to use NDVI time series, generated from NASA’s HLS dataset, to classify vegetation patches. We demonstrate our approach at a temperate, coastal lake, estuarine marsh. To classify vegetation patches, a standard time series library of the four land-cover patch types was built from referencing specific locations that were identified as “pure” pixels. These were identified using a single-time high-resolution image. We calculated the distance between the HLS-NDVI time series at each pixel and the “pure”-pixel standards for each land-cover type. The resulting true-positive classified rate was >73% for all patch types other than water lily. The classification accuracy was higher in pixels of a more uniform composition. A set of vegetation maps was created for the years 2016 to 2020 at our research site to identify the vegetation changes at the site as it is affected by rapid water elevation increases in Lake Erie. Our results reveal how changes in water elevation have changed the patch distribution in significant ways, leading to the local extinction of cattail by 2019 and a continuous increase in the area cover of water lily patches.

Objectives Due to their developmental characteristics, adolescents have a higher probability than other age groups of experiencing injuries caused by accidents, violence, and intentional self-harm. The severity and characteristics of injuries vary by the intentionality and mechanism of injury; therefore, there is a need for a national-level estimate of the scale and the severity of injuries in adolescents that takes these factors into account. Methods By using data from the Emergency Department-based Injury In-depth Surveillance Data, National Emergency Department Information System, the Korean National Hospital Discharge In-depth Injury Survey, and cause of death statistics, we calculated the emergency department (ED) visit rate, hospitalization rate, and death rate of injuries per 100 000 adolescents for each injury mechanism. The calculated rates were used to generate the injury pyramid ratio (ratio of death rate to hospitalization rate to ED visit rate) to visualize the scale and the severity of the injury. Results The mortality rate in adolescents due to injury was 10/100 000; the corresponding rates for hospitalization and ED visits were 1623 and 4923, respectively, resulting in an injury pyramid ratio with the general pyramid form, with a 1:162:492 ratio of deaths to hospitalizations to ED visits. The mortality rate due to suicide/intentional self-harm was 5/100 000, while 35 were hospitalized for this reason and 74 made ED visits. The pyramid ratio of 1:7:15 for intentional self-harm/suicide showed a steep pyramidal form, indicating considerable lethality. The mortality rate due to motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) was 3/100 000; 586 were hospitalized for this reason, while 1023 made ED visits. The pyramid ratio of 1:195:341 for MVCs showed a gradual pyramid form, indicating that the lethality was low and the scale of injury was high. Conclusions The main categories of injuries in adolescents were visualized in pyramid form, contributing to an understanding of the scale of each injury by mechanism in terms of levels of death, hospitalization, and ED visits. These findings will be helpful for understanding how to prioritize injuries in adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Serum AFP-L3%, AFP, and DCP are useful biomarkers for HCC detection, but their utility in assessing treatment response remains unknown. We aim to evaluate the accuracy of a biomarker model in the detection of posttreatment viable tumors. METHODS: For model derivation, recipients with HCC undergoing liver transplant from 2018 to 2022 who had biomarkers collected within 3 months before transplant were included. We developed a generalized linear model for detecting posttreatment viable tumors with the 3 biomarkers as covariates, which we termed the LAD Score. An independent cohort of 117 patients with HCC was used for external validation. RESULTS: Among 205 recipients of transplant, 70.2% had evidence of viable tumor on explant. The median LAD score was higher among patients with viable versus nonviable tumors (1.06 vs. 0.465, p < 0.001). The LAD score had a sensitivity of 55.6% and a specificity of 85.1% at the cutoff of 0.927, which was more accurate than imaging for detecting posttreatment viable tumors (AUROC 0.736 vs. 0.643, respectively; p = 0.045). The superior performance of the LAD score over imaging is primarily driven by its greater accuracy in detecting tumors

Abstract Soil–rock mixture (SRM) is a unique type of geomaterial characterized by a heterogeneous composition and a complicated structure. It is intractable for the continuum-based soil and rock mechanics theories to accurately characterize and predict the SRM’s mechanical properties. This study reports a novel numerical method incorporating microfocus computed tomography and PFC3D codes to probe the deformation and failure processes of SRM. The three-dimensional (3D) PFC models that represent the SRM’s complex structures were built. By simulating the entire failure process in PFC3D, the SRM’s strength, elastic modulus and crack growth were obtained. The influence of rock ratios on the SRM’s strength, deformation and failure processes, as well as its internal mesoscale mechanism, were analyzed. By comparing simulation results with experimental data, it was verified that the 3D PFC models were in good agreement with SRM’s real structure and the SRM’s compression process, deformation and failure patterns; its intrinsic mesomechanism can be effectively analyzed based on such 3D PFC models.

Sea level rise (SLR) and storm surge inundation are major concerns along the coast of the San Francisco Bay (the Bay Area), impacting both coastal communities and critical infrastructure networks. The oil industry comprises a complex and critical infrastructure network located in the Bay Area. There is an urgent need to assess consequences and identify risk-based solutions to increase the resilience of this industrial network in the Bay Area to SLR and storm surge. In this study, a comprehensive multi-modal network model representing the fuel supply system was built. A total of 120 coastal flooding scenarios, including four General Circulation Models, two Representative Concentration Pathways, three percentiles of future SLR estimates, and five planning horizons (20 year intervals from 2000 to 2100) were considered. The impact of coastal flooding on fuel transportation networks was studied at two different scales: regional and local. At the regional scale, basic network properties and network efficiency were analyzed across multiple flooding scenarios. At the local scale, cascading effects of individual node disruptions were simulated. Based on this research, smarter and more holistic risk-based adaptation strategies can be established which could lead to a more resilient fuel transportation network system.

Moisture in coal seams changes gas adsorption capacity, induces coal deformation, and affects coal porosity. However, fewer studies have investigated the dynamic process of moisture loss. In this study, a fully coupled multi-physical model for coal deformation, gas flow and moisture loss was implemented. It validated the coal-gas-moisture interactions of the decay of gas adsorption capacity and the coal shrinkage. Subsequently, the proposed model was applied to a simulation of coal seam gas recovery from wet reservoir and solved using the finite method in COMSOL Multiphysics 3.5. Analyses of the component factors and the sensitive parameters of moisture loss on coal porosity and permeability were comprehensively studied at last. The results reveal that moisture loss enhances coal porosity and permeability. The decay of gas adsorption capacity decreases coal permeability while the coal shrinkage promotes it. The decrease of the adsorption decay coefficient and the increase of the initial density of saturated water vapor and water evaporation constant can enhance the permeability of wet coal seams. Keywords: Coal seam gas, Porosity and permeability, Coal-gas-moisture interaction, Moisture loss, Numerical simulation

Abstract Two-phase flow interfacial dynamics in rough fractures is fundamental to understanding fluid transport in fractured media. The Haines jump of non-Darcy flow in porous media has been investigated at pore scales, but its fundamental processes in rough fractures remain unclear. In this study, the micron-scale Haines jump of the air-water interface in rough fractures was investigated under drainage conditions, with the air-water interface tracked using dyed water and an imaging system. The results indicate that the interfacial velocities represent significant Haines jumps when the meniscus passes from a narrow “throat” to a wide “body”, with jump velocities as high as five times the bulk drainage velocity. Locally, each velocity jump corresponds to a fracture aperture variation; statistically, the velocity variations follow an exponential function of the aperture variations at a length scale of ~100 µm to ~100 mm. This spatial-scale-invariant correlation may indicate that the high-speed local velocities during the Haines jump would not average out spatially for a bulk system. The results may help in understanding the origin of interface instabilities and the resulting non-uniform phase distribution, as well as the micron-scale essence of the spatial and temporal instability of two-phase flow in fractured media at the macroscopic scale.

In tendon tissue engineering, mechanical stimulus-induced differentiation is one of the most attractive techniques for stem cell-to-tenocyte differentiation in terms of cost, safety and simplicity. However, the most effective strain amplitude for differentiation using cyclic stretching remains unknown. Existing studies have not constrained cell reorientation behavior during cyclic stretching, resulting in uncertainty regarding the loads experienced by cells. In addition, strain distribution homogeneity of the culture membrane is important. Here, we improved the strain distribution uniformity of the membrane and employed a microgrooved membrane to suppress cell reorientation. Then we evaluated the most effective strain amplitude (0, 2, 4, 5, 6, or 8%) for the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into tenocytes by measuring mRNA expression levels. The maximum expression of all tenogenic markers was observed at a 5% strain. These results contribute to tendon tissue engineering by clarifying the most effective strain amplitude during tenogenic differentiation induction using cyclic stretching.