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Since 2005, large areas have been planted for maca, the introduced cash crop, on cropland and grassland in Yunnan, China. While cash crops offer clear economic benefits over conventional crops, they also reduce the amount of land for wildlife, especially wading birds. The effect of cash crops on the energetic carrying capacity for birds requires evaluation. The black‐necked crane (Grus nigricollis) is a flagship species wintering in northeast and northwest Yunnan where large areas of cropland and grassland have been converted to maca production. Understanding changes in the energetic carrying capacity in response to increasing maca production will facilitate the development of effective conservation plans for the protection of black‐necked cranes. We estimated food density and the crane's daily energy requirements by observing the foraging behavior of crane individuals using telescopes and recorded video to measure the energetic carrying capacity of the black‐necked crane in the Dashanbao National Nature Reserve. The monthly energetic carrying capacity was similar between the pre‐expansion planting period for maca (2012–2014) and the expansion planting period (2014–2015). The abundance of invertebrates in grassland in December and January and Tartary buckwheat in March was below the food density threshold (below which foraging becomes energetically unprofitable) in both the pre‐and post‐maca planting years. In addition, the crop yield was significantly affected by freeze damage in spring. Thus, climate and abundance of invertebrates affect the energetic carrying capacity of black‐necked cranes in Dashanbao Reserve. We suggest that the local relevant departments should fully assess the potential effect on the cranes when implementing the large‐scale cultivation of introduced crops and avoid the large‐scale planting of single‐species crops. The largest planted area in suitable farmland within the study area should not exceed 1,000 ha. Maca planting should be undertaken with caution in this area because of the potential effect on black‐necked cranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing problems for 3D extended target tracking and contour reconstruction under clutter environment are thoroughly investigated in this article. Due to the sparsity of available point cloud data and interference from clutter, the shape completion method, such as Point Completion Network (PCN), cannot reconstruct 3D contour directly. Moreover, the traditional Gaussian process (GP) model suffered from computing overhead and cannot handle irregular non‐convex shapes. Here, a two‐stage tracking algorithm is proposed, which firstly combines the 3D GP measurement model with a probability data association filter to jointly estimate the kinematics and 3D Gaussian basis points, which contain partial shape information. Afterwards, this method input produced Gaussian basis points to a deep learning‐based PCN to reconstruct complete geometry of the contour. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified by extended target tracking with both simple and complex geometric shapes. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm obtains accurate kinematic state estimation and produces complete point cloud estimation for 3D contour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unbalanced magnetic thrust caused by the mover eccentricity for the linear motor drive motion system is analytically represented. Firstly, the relative complex magnetic permeability function is introduced to represent the effects of the mechanical installation errors and vibrations on the mover eccentricity. Then, the distortion of the magnetic field caused by the mover eccentricity is represented based on the Maxwell equation. The spectrum characteristics of the unbalanced magnetic thrust force is analytically calculated taking into account the harmonics in the drive circuit. Finally, the validity of the theoretically analysis is verified by the experiments. The results show that the static eccentricity caused by the mechanical installation error will produce the unbalanced magnetic thrust, affecting the thrust characteristics of the linear motor. In particular, the dynamic mover eccentricity caused by the mechanical vibration will produce paired unbalanced magnetic thrust harmonics on both sides of the original thrust harmonics, deteriorating the dynamic precision and efficiency of the direct drive motion system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most ABO subtype-relevant nucleotide missense variants have been identified in the last two exons (6 and 7) of the I ABO i gene, which encode 91% of the catalytic domain of ABO glycosyltransferases.[[1]] Here, we report a novel missense variant (c.145C>T, p.Arg49Trp) in exon 3 on the I ABO*B.01 i allele, first identified in a Chinese individual with AB SB 3 sb phenotype. Keywords: ABO; new allele EN ABO new allele E40 E42 3 08/16/23 20230801 NES 230801 Abbreviations AA amino acid mf mixed-field RBC red blood cell SHPBC Shanghai Hemo-Pharmaceutical Biological Company BACKGROUND The ABO blood group system is the most clinically relevant in both transfusion and transplantation medicine. BRIEF SUMMARY In conclusion, a novel I B i allele with c.145C>T in exon 3 on the I ABO*B.01 i allele was identified. [Extracted from the article]

Based on the analysis of chemical composition and the phase of scandium-containing clay type rare earth ore in a place in China, it is found that the content of scandium in the ore is 18.55 g/t. Due to the low leaching rate of direct acid leaching, the effect of the roasting process on the leaching rate of scandium from the raw ore was investigated. By comparing the operation of the two leaching processes, oxidised roasting-hydrochloric acid leaching and alkali roasting-hydrochloric acid leaching, we obtain the optimal technical conditions for both leaching processes. At the same time, the mechanism of alkali roasting was investigated and the conclusions obtained are of some reference for the extraction of scandium from low-grade rare earth ores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Dentinal tubules serve as disease‐causing channels for infiltration and penetration of bacteria and their by‐products; which are regarded as the major driver of pathogenesis in pulpal inflammation and infection. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the transdentinal potential of nanoscale cetylpyridinium chloride/cholesterol (CPC/Chol) sterosomes, which are a recently developed type of cationic non‐phospholipid liposomal nanocarrier; as well as their intrinsic and universal antibacterial activity. Methodology: Cetylpyridinium chloride/cholesterol sterosomes were formulated, with a hydrodynamic diameter of 134 ± 4 nm, a low polydisperse index of 0.161 ± 0.007, and a positive zeta potential of 41 ± 3 mV at pH 7.4. Transdentinal diffusion ability of sterosomes was evaluated using human dentine blocks in vitro, and Wistar rat molar teeth in vivo. The intrinsic antibacterial activities of CPC/Chol sterosomes against Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus mutans, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Porphyromonas gingivalis were further examined. Results: Cetylpyridinium chloride/cholesterol sterosomes successfully penetrated through the dentinal tubules, and diffused into the pulp, which could be internalized by dental pulp cells with a high efficiency. In addition, they exhibited substantial levels of intrinsic antibacterial activity against these Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative endodontic bacteria and their biofilms. Conclusions: Given its high penetration and diffusion ability through the dentine and pulp, great potential for multi‐drug delivery, and distinct intrinsic antibacterial activity; sterosome‐based nanocarriers might serve as a promising therapeutic strategy aimed at targeting various specific pathways associated with pulpal diseases. This will help determine and characterize the most appropriate prophylactic and therapeutic targets for early intervention in our future dentistry practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a microwave microfluidic biosensor for monitoring blood glucose levels. The glucose sensor is a triple ring microstrip patch antenna integrated with a biomimetic microfluidic device capable of measuring a fixed volume of glucose solution. The sensor was utilized to detect 50–500 mg/dL glucose solutions. The interaction of the glucose solution with the electromagnetic field on the patch's surface influences both the resonance frequency and the magnitude of reflection coefficient. The results indicate that the microfluidic device can reduce experimental error and enhance the correlation between glucose concentration, resonant frequency, and reflection coefficient. Finally, the microfluidic sensor had a sensitivity of 0.25 MHz/(mg/dL), a detection limit as low as 7.7 mg/dL, and correlation coefficients of resonance frequency and reflection coefficient with a glucose concentration of 0.996 and 0.984, respectively. The experiment on the sensor's stability verifies the sensor's excellent stability and rapid response (~ 150 ms). Consequently, the device can be used to differentiate the concentration of glucose solutions, as well as to detect blood glucose levels at an early stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spectral Clustering (SC) is an important method in areas such as data mining, image processing, computer science and so on. It attracts more and more attention owing to its effectiveness in unsupervised learning. However, SC has poor performance in the high-dimensional data. Traditional SC methods conduct the spectral embedding of the affinity matrix among data at the first beginning, and then obtain clustering results by the K -means clustering. The also have drawbacks int two processing steps: the clustering results are sensitive to the affinity matrix which may be inaccurate and the post-processing K -means may also be limited by its initialization problem. In the paper, a new approach which joints spectral embedding and clustering with structured graph optimization (called JSEGO) is proposed. In the new model, the low-dimensional representation of data can first be obtained by the spectral embedding method, which can handle with the high-dimensional data better. Then, the optimization similarity matrix would be obtained with such the embedded data. Furthermore, the learning structure graph gives feedback to the similarity matrix to generate better spectral embedded data. As a result, better similarity matrix and clustering result can be obtained by the iterations simultaneously, which are often conducted in two separate steps in the spectral clustering. As a result, the drawbacks introduced by the two processing introduces can be solved. At last, we use an alternative optimization method in the new model and conduct the theoretical analysis by comparing this proposed method with K -means clustering. Experiments based on synthetic data and actual benchmark data prove the advantage of this new approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to develop a new wood product suitable for outdoor applications, a high melting point polyethylene wax was used for high-pressure impregnation treatment of wood. Properties of impregnated wood were studied. Wax in molten state was stable with low viscosity, good fluidity, and easily penetrate into the wood under high pressure. Full-cell process included vacuum (-0.06 MPa for 30 min), high-pressure impregnation (0.75 MPa for 3 h) and pressure release (30 min). Wax contents of treated lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon.) and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus saligna) were 0.205 g/cm3 and 0.321 g/cm3, respectively. Cell gaps and cell cavities of wood were filled with polyethylene wax. Nanoindentation tests showed that longitudinal mechanical properties of wood cell walls were weakened after impregnation. After a 3 h high-pressure impregnation, hardness of lodgepole pine wood cell walls was reduced by 35.1%, and the modulus of elasticity was reduced by 4.9%. Treated wood had a much lower water absorption and swelling rate than untreated wood, its weathering resistance as well as insect resistance were better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic properties of a β-Mn-type alloy Co7Zn8Mn5, which is a chiral magnet hosting skyrmion phase, are comprehensively investigated, exhibiting a ferromagnetic transition around 184 K and a spin freezing near 20 K. The generated Rhodesâ€"Wolfarth ratio equals 1.10, which indicates a weak itinerant character of the ferromagnetism in Co7Zn8Mn5. The spin dynamics of the spin freezing agrees with the universal scaling law of critical slowing down with Ď„ 0 = 1.7 Ă— 10âˆ'5 s, T g = 20.2 K, and zν = 3.92. Critical exponents β = 0.423(1) and Îł = 1.366(4) are deduced by the modified Arrott plot, whereas δ = 4.22(2) is obtained by a critical isotherm analysis. The validity of the deduced critical exponents is verified by the Widom scaling relation and the scaling hypothesis. The boundary between the first-order and the second-order phase transition is evaluated by a scaling analysis. The magnetic interaction, obtained by a renormalization group theory, decays with distance r as J (r) ≈ r âˆ'4.9, lying between the mean-field model and the 3D Heisenberg model. The analyses on critical behavior could shed new light on the origin of ferromagnetism and topological Hall effect. Moreover, the magnetic entropy change âˆ'Î" S M exhibits a maximal value around T C, and the peak position gradually raises with an increasing fields, eliminating the mean-field model. The âˆ' Î" S M max features a power-law behavior with n > 2/3, excluding any universal standard models of ferromagnetism. The âˆ'Î" S M(T, H) plots can be scaled into a universal curve, further verifying the reliability and accuracy of the yielded critical exponents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis commonly colonizes the human gut and is capable of metabolizing L - fucose, which is abundant in the gut. Multiple studies have focused on the mechanisms of L -fucose utilization by B. longum subsp. infantis , but the regulatory pathways governing the expression of these catabolic processes are still unclear. In this study, we have conducted a structural and functional analysis of L - fucose metabolism transcription factor FucR derived from B. longum subsp. infantis Bi-26. Our results indicated that FucR is a L - fucose-sensitive repressor with more α-helices, fewer β-sheets, and β-turns. Transcriptional analysis revealed that FucR displays weak negative self-regulation, which is counteracted in the presence of L -fucose. Isothermal titration calorimetry indicated that FucR has a 2:1 stoichiometry with L - fucose. The key amino acid residues for FucR binding L - fucose are Asp280 and Arg331, with mutation of Asp280 to Ala resulting in a decrease in the affinity between FucR and L - fucose with the K d value from 2.58 to 11.68 μM, and mutation of Arg331 to Ala abolishes the binding ability of FucR towards L - fucose. FucR specifically recognized and bound to a 20-bp incomplete palindrome sequence (5'-ACCCCAATTACGAAAATTTTT-3'), and the affinity of the L - fucose-loaded FucR for the DNA fragment was lower than apo-FucR. The results provided new insights into the regulating L -fucose metabolism by B. longum subsp. infantis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we present the effects of encoder errors caused by the mechanical torsional vibrations on the characteristics of the thrust force for the permanent magnet linear motor (PMLM) motion system. First, the effects of the mechanical vibrations on the encoder errors are analyzed. Then, the three-phase current is calculated, considering the nonlinearity of the drive circuit. Based on Maxwell's equations and a Schwarz–Christoffel method, the analytical model of the magnetic field in airgap is established taking into account the slot effect. Finally, the thrust force considering the encoder errors is analytically presented using the electromagnetic energy method, and the experimental verification is carried out. The results show that the mechanical torsional vibrations will produce different kinds of encoder errors for the optical linear encoder. These encoder errors will be coupled with the harmonics in the magnetic field. Consequently, lots of new thrust harmonics appear, affecting the characteristics of the thrust force and the performance of the PMLM motion system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are widely used to treat local or metastatic lung cancer. However, the efficacy of ICI in patients with brain metastases (BM) from lung cancer is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 ICIs compared with chemotherapy for patients with lung cancer with BM. Electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) were searched. The meta-analysis assessed overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of the PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors axis and its relationship with pathological type, drug modality, and the treatment line number in patients with BM from lung cancer. We included 694 patients with BM from lung cancer from 11 randomized controlled trials. Statistical analysis showed that compared with chemotherapy, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors could significantly prolong OS (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.75, 95%confidence interval (95%CI) = 0.51-0.99) and PFS (HR = 0.65, 95%CI = 0.51-0.80). In the subgroup analysis, ICIs plus chemotherapy improved PFS (HR = 0.60, 95%CI = 0.40-0.80), but not OS (HR = 0.75, 95%CI = 0.30-1.19). The efficacy of ICI monotherapy in patients with BM was significantly different between OS and PFS: OS pooled HR = 0.81 (95%CI = 0.57-1.05) and PFS = 0.78 (95%CI = 0.62-0.94). Among different pathological types, the OS pooled HR was 0.67 (95%CI = 0.39-0.95) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and 0.94 (95%CI = 0.56-1.33) for small cell lung cancer (SCLC); the PFS pooled HR was 0.58 (95%CI = 0.39-0.76) for NSCLC and 0.79 (95%CI = 0.65-0.93) for SCLC. Subgroups analysis of treatment line showed that no advantage for OS with ICIs as first-line or subsequent-line therapy, whereas ICIs as first-line (HR = 0.63, 95%CI = 0.53-0.74) and second-line (HR = 0.62, 95%CI = 0.62-0.96) benefitted PFS. This meta-analysis implied that compared with chemotherapy, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors significantly improved efficacy treatment of patients with BM from lung cancer. Further studies are needed to confirm the role of ICIs in different pathological types and drug treatment modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic (As), distributed widely in the natural environment, is a toxic substance which can severely impair the normal functions in living cells. Research on the genetic determinants conferring functions in arsenic resistance and metabolism is of great importance for remediating arsenic-contaminated environments. Many organisms, including bacteria, have developed various strategies to tolerate arsenic, by either detoxifying this harmful element or utilizing it for energy generation. More and more new arsenic resistance (ars) determinants have been identified to be conferring resistance to diverse arsenic compounds and encoded in ars operons. There is a hazard in mobilizing arsenic during gold-mining activities due to gold- and arsenic-bearing minerals coexisting. In this study, we isolated 8 gold enrichment strains from the Zijin gold and copper mine (Longyan, Fujian Province, China) wastewater treatment site soil, at an altitude of 192 m. We identified two Brevundimonas nasdae strains, Au-Bre29 and Au-Bre30, among these eight strains, having a high minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for As(III). These two strains contained the same ars operons but displayed differences regarding secretion of extra-polymeric substances (EPS) upon arsenite (As(III)) stress. B. nasdae Au-Bre29 contained one extra plasmid but without harboring any additional ars genes compared to B. nasdae Au-Bre30. We optimized the growth conditions for strains Au-Bre29 and Au-Bre30. Au-Bre30 was able to tolerate both a lower pH and slightly higher concentrations of NaCl. We also identified folE, a folate synthesis gene, in the ars operon of these two strains. In most organisms, folate synthesis begins with a FolE (GTP-Cyclohydrolase I)-type enzyme, and the corresponding gene is typically designated folE (in bacteria) or gch1 (in mammals). Heterologous expression of folE, cloned from B. nasdae Au-Bre30, in the arsenic-hypersensitive strain Escherichia coli AW3110, conferred resistance to As(III), arsenate (As(V)), trivalent roxarsone (Rox(III)), pentavalent roxarsone (Rox(V)), trivalent antimonite (Sb(III)), and pentavalent antimonate (Sb(V)), indicating that folate biosynthesis is a target of arsenite toxicity and increased production of folate confers increased resistance to oxyanions. Genes encoding Acr3 and ArsH were shown to confer resistance to As(III), Rox(III), Sb(III), and Sb(V), and ArsH also conferred resistance to As(V). Acr3 did not confer resistance to As(V) and Rox(V), while ArsH did not confer resistance to Rox(V). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To meet the requirements of the update for the supersonic landing and take-off (LTO) cycle standard, a methodology for studying the LTO supersonic standard based on pollutant emission characteristics is proposed in this paper to analyze the thrust and time of the LTO. In this study, three distinct supersonic engine models were developed based on subsonic engine cores. Subsequently, the pollutant emission calculation models were developed to calculate the pollutant emission index (I e) of supersonic engines and analyze the pollutant emission characteristics. Findings confirmed the presence of a correlation between standard formulations and pollutant emissions. Finally, considering that the current LTO standard leads to excessive noise during the climb phase and inefficient combustion during the taxi/ground idle phase, the LTO supersonic standard was analyzed for the trade-off, which resulted in the more applicable and fairer standard being formulated. The results indicate that the LTO supersonic standard formulated in this paper proves to be more reasonable than the current LTO standard and accurately represents the pollutant emission characteristics of distinct supersonic engines during both the climb and taxi/ground idle phases. Consequently, this study's results have guiding significance for formulating the future LTO supersonic standard and predicting pollutant emissions from supersonic engines. • Outdated supersonic landing and take-off cycle standards are updated. • A trade-off analysis of the supersonic standard is developed. • More comprehensive supersonic engine models and supersonic emission calculation methods are developed. • The updated supersonic climb standard more closely approximates the emissions from the noise-reducing climb trajectory. • The updated supersonic taxi/ground idle standard is better able to meet the combustion efficiency requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many artificial wetland constructions are currently underway worldwide to compensate for the degradation of natural wetland systems. Researchers face the responsibility of proposing wetland management and species protection strategies to ensure that constructed wetlands positively impact waterbird diversity. Nestedness is a commonly occurring pattern for biotas in fragmented habitats with important implications for conservation; however, only a few studies have focused on seasonal waterbird communities in current artificial wetlands. In this study, we used the nestedness theory for analyzing the annual and seasonal community structures of waterbirds in artificial wetlands at Lake Dianchi (China) to suggest artificial wetland management and waterbird conservation strategies. We carried out three waterbird surveys per month for one year to observe the annual, spring, summer, autumn, and winter waterbird assemblages in 27 lakeside artificial wetland fragments. We used the NeD program to quantify nestedness patterns of waterbirds at the annual and seasonal levels. We also determined Spearman partial correlations to examine the associations of nestedness rank and habitat variables to explore the factors underlying nestedness patterns. We found that annual and all four seasonal waterbird compositions were nested, and selective extinction and habitat nestedness were the main factors governing nestedness. Further, selective colonization was the key driver of nestedness in autumn and winter waterbirds. We suggest that the area of wetland fragments should be as large as possible and that habitat heterogeneity should be maximized to fulfill the conservation needs of different seasonal waterbirds. Furthermore, we suggest that future studies should focus on the least area criterion and that vegetation management of artificial wetland construction should be based on the notion of sustainable development for humans and wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abbreviations ISBT International Society of Blood Transfusion PCR polymerase chain reaction RBCs red blood cells SHPBC Shanghai Hemo-Pharmaceutical Biological Company BACKGROUND ABO subgroups result from I ABO i gene variants which brings about the ABO typing discrepancy. I ABO*A1.01 i allele is used as a reference for the sequences of all other I ABO i alleles. Many of the I A i suballeles contain an I ABO*A1.02 i allele-specific mutation c.467C>T in the Chinese Han population.1,2 Here, we describe a novel I A i allele with c.467C>T and c.586T>C mutations that were identified in a pregnant Chinese woman with an A SB el sb phenotype. [Extracted from the article]

A bulk diluted magnetic semiconductor was found in the K and Mn co-doped BaCd2As2 system. Different from recently reported tetragonal ThCr2Si2-structured II-II-V based (Ba,K)(Zn,Mn)2As2, the Ba1-yKyCd2-xMnxAs2 system has a hexagonal CaAl2Si2-type structure with the Cd2As2 layer forming a honeycomb-like network. The Mn concentration reaches up to x ∼ 0.4. Magnetization measurements show that the samples undergo ferromagnetic transitions with Curie temperature up to 16 K. With low coercive field of less than 10 Oe and large magnetoresistance of about -70%, the hexagonal structured Ba1-yKyCd2-xMnxAs2 can be served as a promising candidate for spin manipulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the utilization of leftover materials from furniture factory, a two‐step pyrolysis, an initial treatment at mild temperature followed by a fast pyrolysis step, in a fluidized bed reactor was proposed in this study. The grindability of semi‐biochar samples after the mild temperature pyrolysis was studied. The fast pyrolysis characteristics and kinetics parameters of the semi‐biochar samples were also investigated by thermogravimetric analysis. Results showed that an improvement in the grindability characteristics was observed. The grinding of semi‐biochars that do not completely devolatilize mainly produces a mixture of fine particles and small fragments, whereas the semi‐biochars that completely devolatilize have good grinding characteristic, and the main ground products are short and round particles. Most differential thermogravimetric (DTG) curves of the semi‐biochar samples presented two peaks and four common stages. With increase of the temperature or residence time in mild temperature treatment process, the decomposition intensity of hemicellulose and cellulose in grinding residues decreased gradually, while the decomposition intensity of lignin changed little. Peak DTG value ranging from 4%/min to 6%/min can be adopted to estimate the optimal operation condition for mild temperature pyrolysis. Three‐dimensional diffusion model can accurately describe the fast pyrolysis of semi‐biochar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracellular vesicles (EVs, including exosomes) are a group of heterogeneous nanometer‐sized vesicles that are released by all types of cells and serve as functional mediators of cell‐to‐cell communication. This ability is primarily due to their capacity to package and transport various proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids—namely DNA and messenger RNA (mRNA), but also microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs). These contents can influence the function and fate of both recipient and donor cells. More and more studies have shown that EVs are involved in every phase of cancer development, mediating bidirectional cross talk between cancer cells and their tissue microenvironment. More specifically, EVs can promote tumor progression by modifying vesicular contents and establishing a distant premetastatic niche with molecules that favor cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and even drug resistance. Given that the packaging of these molecules is known to be tissue‐specific, EVs can not only serve as novel prognostic and diagnostic markers but also be used as potential therapeutic targets and vehicles for drug delivery. The present review discusses the current understanding of the multifaceted roles of EVs in the progression of oral and salivary gland cancers, as well as their potential use in clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A spectral clustering based on hierarchical bipartite graph approach is proposed. • The approach could solve the large scale data better. • The approach has better performance in clustering accuracy and time cost. • The approaches can avoid adjusting the heat-kernel parameter σ. • The approach could quickly deal with out-of-sample problem. Spectral clustering (SC) is drawing more and more attention due to its effectiveness in unsupervised learning. However, all of these methods still have limitations. First, the method is not suitable for large-scale problems due to its high computational complexity. Second, the neighborhood weighted graph is constructed by the Gaussian kernel, meaning that more work is required to tune the heat-kernel parameter. In order to overcome these issues, we propose a novel spectral clustering based on hierarchical bipartite graph (SCHBG) approach by exploring multiple-layer anchors with a pyramid-style structure. First, the proposed algorithm constructs a hierarchical bipartite graph, and then performs spectral analysis on the graph. As a result, the computational complexity can be largely reduced. Furthermore, we adopt a parameter-free yet effective neighbor assignment strategy to construct the similarity matrix, which avoids the need to tune the heat-kernel parameter. Finally, the algorithm is able to deal with the out-of-sample problem for large-scale data and its computational complexity is significantly reduced. Experiments demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed SCHBG algorithm. Results show that the SCHBG approach can achieve good clustering accuracy (76%) on an 8-million datasets. Furthermore, owing to the use of the bipartite graph, the algorithm can reduce the time cost for out-of-sample situations with almost the same clustering accuracy as for large sizes of data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-axis computer numerical control (CNC) milling machines have a wide range of application in practical processing. The error transfer principle of machine tools is an important factor to improve the precision of machine tools. Based on multibody system theory and homogeneous transformation matrix theory, a geometrical error model of three-axis CNC milling machines is proposed in this paper. In addition, the global sensitivity analysis of machine tool errors was carried out to identify important errors. The analysis model has two layers of higher dimensional integration; hence, in the aim of solving this issue, a multiplication dimension reduction method was used in this paper. By this means, a one-dimensional integration model was obtained, and sensitivity analysis of machine tool geometric errors was realized. The present work provides a good theoretical basis for the optimization design and error compensation of machine tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under investigation in this article is an extended (3+1)-dimensional Jimbo–Miwa equation (JM), which can be used to describe many nonlinear phenomena in fluid dynamics. By using the Hirota bilinear form of the extended (3+1)-dimensional JM equation, thirty classes of rogue wave type solutions are found with the help of symbolic computations. The rogue wave type solutions contain two important parameters a and b. When a and b get different values, we can present obvious rogue wave type solutions. For example, (i) taking a = b = 0 , then we have algebraic solitary waves (lump); (ii) if one of a and b is fixed at 0 and the other is nonzero, then we have an interaction solution between an algebraically decayed soliton and exponentially decayed soliton (lumpoff); (iii) let a ≠ 0 and b ≠ 0 , then we have an interaction solution between lump and exponentially localized twin soliton wave (instant or rogue wave). The new rogue wave type solutions help us to know different physical worlds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic investigations were performed on the nature of the magnetic properties of Yb 14 MnSb 11 , which is the first ferromagnetic Kondo lattice compound in the underscreened limit and one of the highest thermoelectrically efficient materials with p -type conduction. The Rhode-Wohlfarth ratio (RWR) is estimated to be 1.01, which demonstrates the localized nature of the ferromagnetism in Yb 14 MnSb 11 , consistent with the predicted Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida (RKKY) like exchange interaction. Detailed analyses on critical behavior indicate a second-order ferromagnetic phase transition with critical exponents β = 0.307(2), γ = 0.923(9), and δ = 4.003(4), demonstrating a three-dimensional critical behavior with long-range interaction. Furthermore, the magnetocaloric effect and relative cooling power are estimated to be 0.772 J kg−1 K−1 and 16.43 J kg−1 at 5 T, respectively. The magnetic transition temperature of T C = 51.9(3) K is strictly estimated by evaluating the magnetic change of specific heat [ Δ C p (T , H) ]. The rare d -electron ferromagnetic Kondo lattice, small magnetocaloric effect, and high-temperature large thermoelectric efficiency making Yb 14 MnSb 11 to be a system of considerable interest. • The estimated Rhode-Wohlfarth ratio of 1.01 verifies a rare 3d electron localized ferromagnetism. • Detailed analyses on critical behavior indicate a three-dimensional critical behavior with long-range interaction. • Analyses on magnetic entropy change and relative cooling power demonstrate a small magnetocaloric effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: blood group genomics EN blood group genomics E31 E33 3 04/10/21 20210401 NES 210401 Weak D phenotypes occur predominantly due to amino acid changes in the transmembrane or intracellular regions of the RhD protein.1 Here we have identified a novel variant RHD allele in a 26-year-old G2P1 pregnant Chinese woman with a weak D phenotype. The RHD zygosity testing result indicated that the patient was hemizygous (RhD + / RhD-). [Extracted from the article]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Molybdenum carbides are effective for reductive depolymerization of lignin. • Nickel-doping enhances the performance of molybdenum carbides. • Ethanol addition enhances catalyst stability and monomer yields. • The balance between metallic and acidic properties of carbides is essential for depolymerization. Abstract Depolymerization of lignin into aromatic compounds in high yield for production of fuels and chemicals is vital to realize an economically competitive biorefinery. In this study, undoped and nickel-doped bulk molybdenum carbides were synthesized and evaluated in reductive depolymerization of lignin model compound and corn stover lignin in the presence of hydrogen. The highest lignin monomer yield of 37.3% was obtained with Ni-Mo 2 C and ethanol/water solvent. Nickel doping promoted the depolymerization performance of Mo 2 C, by increasing the number of metallic sites while decreasing that of acidic sites. This change in active site distribution mitigated C C coupling reactions and coking. Ethanol addition to the water solvent also significantly suppressed C C coupling. Mixing carbides with zeolites decreased monomer yields, presumably due to excessive repolymerization of reactive intermediates over the acidic zeolite. This work highlights the feasibility of developing effective lignin depolymerization catalysts by fine-tuning the properties of molybdenum carbide catalysts and solvent systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A novel precision evaluation method and indexes are proposed for direct driven feed system. • Dynamic precision is analytical represented considering multi-source inputs and disturbances. • The main influencing factors of each index are discussed based on the sensitivity analysis. Abstract The direct driven feed system incorporates the merits of simple structure, high velocity and high acceleration, which has a bright future in the high-speed machine tools. However, because of the absence of the intermediate transmission components, there are different kinds of the disturbances which directly act on the mechanical system, leading to multiform motion errors. The complex motion errors in different motion processes will affect the final dynamic performance of the feed system with different forms and degrees, and finally affect the machining precision of the workpiece. It is of great significance to find a comprehensive and systematic precision evaluation method for the analysis and improvement of the dynamic precision of the feed system. In this paper, based on the motion characteristics and error sources, a novel precision evaluation and analysis method and indexes are proposed for the direct driven feed system. The electromechanical integrated model is established and then the dynamic precision in different motion processes with multi-source inputs are analytical presented. What is more, the experimental verification is carried out with different velocities. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can systematically evaluate the dynamic performance of direct drive high-speed feed system. Finally, the sensitive parameters of the precision evaluation indexes are discussed using the sensitivity analysis method (SAM), and the corresponding improvement measures are put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Twenty-nine new 2,5-dimethylfuran-3-carboxylic acid derivatives were designed and synthesized. • Compounds were evaluated by HeLa assay and THP-1 assay and some showed strong IDO1 inhibitory activities. • Molecular docking studies revealed that these derivatives coordinated with the heme iron by carboxylic acid. • The compound 19a (HeLa IC 50 = 4.0 nM, THP-1 IC 50 = 4.6 nM) exhibited no cytotoxicity and no suppression of IDO1 expression. Abstract Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) plays a vital role in tumor immune escape and has emerged as a promising target for cancer immunotherapy. In this study, a novel series of 2,5-dimethylfuran-3-carboxylic acid derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for inhibitory activities against IDO1, and their structure-activity relationship was investigated. Among these, compound 19a exhibited excellent IDO1 inhibitory activity (HeLa cellular IC 50 = 4.0 nM, THP-1 cellular IC 50 = 4.6 nM). Further molecular docking studies revealed that the compound 19a formed a coordinate bond with the heme iron through the carboxylic acid moiety. These results indicate that compound 19a is a potential IDO1 inhibitor for further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract The NiFe-layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanosheets were decorated on the surface of doped BiVO 4 to structure an integrating photoanode for improving solar photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting efficiency, which is a dynamic research topic to solve the energy crisis and remit environmental pollution caused by fossil fuel combustion. The fabricated photoanode exhibits rapid response to visible light, enhances photocurrent density and shows significant cathodic shift compared to BiVO 4. Moreover, the measured incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) of the photoanode is comparable to that reported in the literature. The amount of evolution oxygen was measured and the faradaic efficiency produced oxygen was also obtained by comparing the theoretical calculation value. The enhancement is attributed to the increase of the carrier density, the effective separation of photogenerated electron-hole and consuming of the photogenerated holes accumulated at the electrode surface, which has been confirmed by electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) and the intensity modulated photocurrent spectra (IMPS). The work may offer a promising method for designing a high efficiency and low-cost photoanode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, a novel improved artificial potential field based lateral guidance algorithm for waypoints passage and no-fly zones avoidance is proposed. By introducing the improved attractive potential field and the improved repulsive potential field, the proposed algorithm converts the waypoints passage problem and the no-fly zones avoidance problem into the reference heading angle determination problem. Based on the heading error threshold and heading angle constraints, the reference heading corridor can be obtained in real time, which is adaptively updated during the entry flight according to the waypoint and no-fly zone constraints. Then the bank reversal logic is employed to regulate the sign of the bank angle, control the lateral motion of the vehicle, and steer the vehicle successfully to the desired terminal zone without any collision of the waypoint and no-fly zone constraints. The simulation results for verification and comparison cases show that the proposed algorithm has better adaptability, applicability and robustness than the alternative methods, and it can be successfully applied in lateral entry guidance of hypersonic glide vehicles with waypoint and no-fly zone constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Pd catalysts anchored on manganese oxide octahedral molecular sieves (OMS-2) were synthesized by photo-deposition method, and then used for one-step oxidative carbonylation of phenol to synthesize diphenyl carbonate (DPC). The results showed that the catalytic activity of Pd/OMS-2 catalyst prepared by photo-deposition was apparently better than those prepared by the traditional precipitation and impregnation method, the distribution of Pd particles was more uniform with the average size of 1.3 nm. This may result from the strong interaction between the carriers and the active Pd species. Irradiated for 5 h at pH 5.0, with the Pd loading of 2.5 wt%, the highest DPC yield of 18.1% was achieved. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Photo-deposition can prepare high dispersity, small-size and long-life catalyst. • The Pd particles were homogenously dispersed and consolidated on the OMS-2. • The yield of DPC can reach 18.1% by using the catalyst of photo-deposition method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the linear motor feed system, all the intermediate transmission components are cancelled. Lots of thrust harmonics caused by the nonlinearity of drive circuit and motor itself directly act on the mechanical system, leading to the vibrations. Meanwhile, the mechanical vibrations also affect the characteristics of motor thrust through the full closed-loop control. There is a close coupling between the servo drive and mechanical system, affecting the dynamic precision of the feed system. Therefore in this paper, an analytical method, which is used to present the mechanism of the electromechanical coupling caused by the thrust harmonics and its effects on the dynamic precision, is explored for the linear motor feed system. The thrust harmonics and mechanical characteristics are calculated firstly. The interactions between the servo system and mechanical system are analyzed afterwards. Then the coupled equation is established and the coupled process is analyzed. Moreover, the influence of the coupling on the displacement fluctuation is discussed. The results show that the thrust harmonics will produce significant displacement fluctuations, which is actually an electromechanical coupling process. In addition, its effects will aggravate with the increase of the velocity. At last several measures are put forward to improve the dynamic precision of the feed system. The displacement fluctuation caused by thrust harmonics is decreased more than 90% by implementing an integrated compensation strategy. This work will provide the theoretical support for the analysis and optimization of the complex electromechanical couplings, especially for the linear motor feed system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Mn doping is more efficient at controlling active oxygen species and increasing active Pd2+ species than morphology tuning. • The highest reaction rate was obtained for the Pd/Mn 3 Ce 1 O-cube catalyst due to the increased activity of the Pd2+species. A series of nanocubes and nanorods of CeO 2 and Mn x Ce y O (x,y = 1 or 3) oxides were prepared by the hydrothermal method. Samples as prepared were characterized by Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy, in order to gain a fundamental understanding of the effects of the morphology and Mn dopant on the oxygen species and active Pd2+ species in the oxidative carbonylation of phenol using Pd catalysts supported on as-prepared oxides. Although the oxygen species on supports with different morphologies varied, the catalytic performance in the oxidative carbonylation reaction did not show the significant change. Comparatively speaking, the doping of Mn is a more efficient method to control active oxygen species. It is deduced that Pd and Mn are "dopants" for pure CeO 2 , both of which improve the formation of oxygen vacancies that help to mitigate the reduction of active Pd species due to the strong interaction between the Pd2+ and the Mn x Ce y O support. Furthermore, we propose that O β (hydroxyl oxygen, chemisorbed oxygen or the oxygen vacancy) species acted as intermediates to lower the reduction of active palladium species by the strong interaction between the noble metal and supports, while the lattice oxygen O α were involved in the redox cycle of Pd0/Pd2+ in the oxidative carbonylation of phenol to diphenyl carbonate. All results suggest that Mn dopants play a more important role in the activity than morphology does. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The permanent magnet linear synchronous motor (PMLSM) feed system realizes the direct drive. All the intermediate mechanical transmission parts are canceled and then the motor mover is directly connected with the driven components. The interaction between servo system and mechanical system becomes more close and complex, affecting the dynamic performance of the direct-driven feed system. In this paper, the dynamic characteristics of the drive circuit, PMLSM, control loops, and mechanical system are analyzed, and then an electromechanical integrated modeling method for the direct-driven feed system is proposed. Firstly, the dynamic precision of the feed system and electromechanical analytical model is studied. Then the nonlinearities of the drive circuit and PMLSM are researched. The analytical expression of the motor thrust is derived. What is more, the mechanical dynamic model is set up using the Lagrange equation and the main forms of the vibrations are discussed. Finally, the electromechanical integrated model is established and the experiments are carried out to verify the theoretical results. The results show that the proposed integrated modeling method can accurately represent the dynamic precision of the direct-driven feed system, which can provide the theoretical foundation for analyzing the electromechanical couplings and compensation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a few sparsity-promoting approaches for sensor selection in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) to reach the optimal tradeoff between the tracking performance and the sensing-communication cost. The proposed framework is valid for general nonlinear target tracking without explicit linearization and not restricted to any specific estimator. We formulate the sensor selection problem as the design of a sparse selection vector. The cardinality of the selection vector is added as a sparsity-promoting penalty term to the cost function where the conditional posterior Cramér–Rao lower bound is used as the criterion for sensor selection. To cope with large-scale WSNs, by combining iterative reweighted L1-norm minimization with the accelerated proximal gradient method and the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM), we develop two efficient sensor selection algorithms, respectively. We further develop a low-complexity distributed version of the ADMM where each sensor makes a local sensor selection decision. We test the proposed algorithms by simulations based on an extended Kalman filter using analog data and a particle filter using quantized data, respectively, which provide valuable insights and demonstrate the proposed algorithms’ performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A microwave biosensor based on a planar low-pass-split ring resonator is proposed for detecting tacrolimus concentrations in solution. The biosensor was used to detect tacrolimus in an aqueous solution and blood samples containing tacrolimus drug concentration. As the concentration of a sample changes, so do its dielectric properties, causing a shift in the resonant frequency and S parameter. The experimental results show that the resonant frequency and insertion loss are highly linearly related to sample concentration for tacrolimus aqueous solution detection (R 2 = 0.99). The detection results of real blood samples were similar to those of tacrolimus aqueous solution, with a linear relationship using frequency (R 2 = 0.99) and insertion loss (R 2 = 0.91),to demonstrate its effectiveness. In addition, the sensor exhibits low limit of detection (LoD) of 0.032 ng/mL. Finally, the frequency detection resolution (FDR) for the concentration variation range of blood samples from tacrolimus is 32.37 MHz/(ng/mL). The higher the FDR value, the higher the sensor's sensitivity to sample concentration detection and resonance frequency variation, demonstrating the feasibility of a label-free biosensing scheme. This study presents simple method for achieving a microwave biosensor that is both highly sensitive and fast response. [Display omitted] ● A cost-effective and simple process of biosensor is achieved. ● The proposed biosensor has ultra-fast response and high stability. ● A very high frequency detection resolution and ultra-low limit of detection was achieved. ● The proposed microwave biosensors can benefit more patients of organ transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing production technology pathways of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) that align with China's national conditions and aviation transportation needs is crucial for promoting the SAF industry and achieving China's carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals. This article first projects the future SAF demand in China for the coming decades. Using SAF demand data as an input, this article employs the TOPSIS analysis method to comprehensively evaluate the suitability of four SAF production technology pathways at different stages of development in China, which are Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA), Alcohol-to-Jet (AtJ), Natural Gas + Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis (G + FT), and Power-to-Liquid (PtL). The research results reveal the following trends: HEFA-based processes are the most suitable technology pathways for China in the near term; the G + FT route, based on energy crops, appears the most likely to support civil aviation needs in the medium to long term. In the long run, the PtL route holds significant potential, especially with the decreasing costs of green electricity, advancements in carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology, and improvements in SAF synthesis methods. In the final section of this article, we provide recommendations to drive the development of the SAF industry in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complicated electromechanical coupling phenomena due to different kinds of causes have significant influences on the dynamic precision of the direct driven feed system in machine tools. In this paper, a novel integrated modeling and analysis method of the multiple electromechanical couplings for the direct driven feed system in machine tools is presented. At first, four different kinds of electromechanical coupling phenomena in the direct driven feed system are analyzed systematically. Then a novel integrated modeling and analysis method of the electromechanical coupling which is influenced by multiple factors is put forward. In addition, the effects of multiple electromechanical couplings on the dynamic precision of the feed system and their main influencing factors are compared and discussed, respectively. Finally, the results of modeling and analysis are verified by the experiments. It finds out that multiple electromechanical coupling loops, which are overlapped and influenced by each other, are the main reasons of the displacement fluctuations in the direct driven feed system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endogenous hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) has been acknowledged as the third important gasotransmitter and plays a vital role to human health and diseases. A "turn-on" near-infrared fluorescent probe DCM-PBA based on nucleophilic substitution–cyclization has been developed for the detection of hydrogen sulfide. The probe showed high selectivity and sensitivity toward H 2 S and was successfully applied to imaging H 2 S in HeLa cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The linear motor feed system realizes direct drive, and all the intermediate transmission components are canceled. The thrust harmonics and other disturbances act on the mechanical system directly because the mover is connected with the driven parts, leading to obvious mechanical vibrations. The mechanical dynamic characteristics have important effects on the thrust characteristics and dynamic precision of linear motor feed system. In this paper, the decoupling and effects of the mechanical vibration on the dynamic precision for the direct driven are researched. Firstly, the mechanical kinetic model is established considering the characteristics of the joint between the guide rail and block and servo stiffness. Then the model realizes decoupling through the modal analysis, and the vibration responses in different directions are analytically calculated. What is more, a modeling method for the linear motor feed system considering the mechanical characteristic is put forward based on the modal separation method (MSM). The effects of the mechanical vibration on the dynamic precision of feed system are discussed. At last, the experiments are carried out and the influences of the structure parameters on the mechanical characteristics and displacement fluctuations are analyzed through sensitivity analysis, which provides a theoretical basis for the mechanical active design and improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation and land-cover information is critical for sustainable environmental management in urban areas. Remote sensing has increasingly been used to derive such information, yet it has been challenged by the spectral and spatial complexity in the urban environment. In this study, we developed a multiple classifier system (MCS) to help improve remote-sensing-based vegetation and land-cover mapping in a large metropolitan area. MCSs, although considered as an emerging hot topic and a promising trend in pattern recognition, have not received the attention it deserves in the remote-sensing community. Our work consisted of several components. First, we identified a group of commonly used pattern recognizers from different families of statistical learning algorithms as base classifiers. Then, we implemented them to derive land-cover information from a satellite image covering the study site. Last, we adopted a weighting and combination method to generate the final map. Results indicate that there is statistically significant difference in the classification accuracy between the MCS developed and each base classifier considered. Comparing with the base classifiers, the MCS produced not only about 5-8% higher overall classification accuracy but also the most stable categorical accuracies. Moreover, the MCS generated a larger accuracy improvement for spectrally complex classes than for relatively homogenous ones, suggesting its comparative advantage in reducing classification errors caused by class ambiguity. The novelties of our work are with the demonstration of how MCSs can be operationally used to improve image classification from large remote sensor data sets with complex patterns and with the insight into the behaviour of MCSs in relation to the complexity of individual classes. These findings can help promote the use of MCSs as an emerging premier approach for image classification by the remote-sensing community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alpha B-crystallin (CRYAB, HSPB5) is a protein that was first discovered in the lens of the eye. It is a member of the small heat-shock protein family (sHsps). CRYAB functions primarily as a molecular chaperone to prevent the aggregation and degradation of damaged unfolded proteins due to cellular damage resulting from heat shock, radiation, oxidative stress, and other insults, thereby promoting cell survival and preventing apoptosis. In recent years, the role of CRYAB in tumorigenesis, tumor invasion, and metastasis has received increasing attention. CRYAB is highly expressed in a variety of cancers, including breast cancer, head and neck cancer, and kidney cancer, and is likely associated with the prognosis of cancer. However, few studies have examined CRYAB in colorectal cancer (CRC). To study the effect of CRYAB on CRC, we transfected the CRC cell line SW480, which expresses high levels of CRYAB, with a lentiviral vector that inhibits CRYAB expression. The messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of CRYAB was examined in the transfected SW480 cells (Si-CRYAB) using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Western blotting (WB) assays. Moreover, a growth curve was plotted to examine the proliferation of Si-CRYAB cells, and transwell assays were used to examine the migration of Si-CRYAB cells. Apoptosis and the cell cycle were examined in Si-CRYAB cells using flow cytometry (FCM), and the tumorigenic capability of Si-CRYAB cells was assessed in a nude mouse tumor model. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was employed to examine CRYAB protein expression and the markers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), such as E-cadherin, fibronectin, vimentin, and slug, in tumor tissues from nude mice and clinical invasive CRC and hepatic metastasis specimens. The qPCR and WB results showed that CRYAB was downregulated at the protein and mRNA level in Si-CRYAB cells, and the growth curve indicated that the proliferation of Si-CRYAB cells was reduced. Moreover, Si-CRYAB cells exhibited reduced migration capability in the transwell assay as well as increased apoptosis and G1 arrest in the FCM assay. The tumorigenesis study in nude mice showed that Si-CRYAB cells formed smaller tumors, indicating decreased tumorigenic capability. IHC results showed reduced CRYAB expression and lower levels of EMT in Si-CRYAB cells, whereas clinical specimens of invasive CRC and hepatic metastases exhibited elevated CRYAB expression and enhanced levels of EMT. These results demonstrated that CRYAB promoted the invasion and metastasis of CRC tumor cells via EMT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulated gastrointestinal tract (GIT) models are commonly used to establish the major factors influencing lipid digestion. In this study, two widely used static in vitro digestion models were compared for their ability to monitor the impact of dietary fibers on lipid digestion: a single-stage (small intestine) and a multiple-stage (mouth, stomach, small intestine) model. The impact of three dietary fibers with different electrical characteristics on the digestion of protein-coated lipid droplets was studied: cationic chitosan; anionic alginate; neutral locust bean gum (LBG). The particle size, particle charge, microstructure, rheology, and lipid digestion rate were measured. The GIT fate of the lipid droplets depended on dietary fiber type, with extensive droplet aggregation being induced upon fiber addition due to either depletion or bridging mechanisms. The microstructure and electrical characteristics of emulsions containing dietary fibers measured after the small intestine phase were fairly similar for the single- and multiple-stage GIT models, whereas the rate of lipid digestion was appreciably different. In the single-stage model the total amount of free fatty acids produced in the small intestine phase decreased in the following order: control (83%) ≈ LBG (87%) > chitosan (72%) > alginate (59%). However, in the multiple-state model the total amounts of free fatty acids produced were fairly similar for all fibers (83–94%). This study highlights the importance of selecting an appropriate simulated GIT model to examine the potential gastrointestinal fate of food, pharmaceutical, and feed systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For computer vision and image content understanding, the low-light image becomes an obvious challenge as it suffers from poor contrast and illumination. Hence, low-light image enhancement(LLIE) technology has attracted considerable attention. However, most of the existing LLIE methods based on deep learning technology rely on referenced images to guide supervised training. It is very difficult to capture the referenced images in a real-world scene. To remedy this, we propose a reference-free low-light enhancement framework by estimating pixel-wise curves with wavelet decomposition and association. Typical LLIE methods apply illumination adjustment on the RGB image roughly. In contrast to that, we re-examine current LLIE pipelines and propose a fine-grained image enhancement framework by abstracting and associating frequency prior. Firstly, we decompose the image to the frequency domain by wavelet transform. Then, we realize frequency-away message passing with hierarchical wavelet decomposition. Finally, reference-free loss functions are applied with the consistent association between wavelet frequencies. These losses are used to guide a fine-grained reference-free LLIE paradigm. We verify our method through comprehensive experiments, and prove that our model is superior to other relevant methods under the quantitative index and visual perception. • The idea of hierarchical wavelet transform with a highway connection is proposed. • The highway connection is a residual-like connection for different frequency bands. • We ingeniously introduces frequency bands into the reference-free loss function. • Experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A dynamic and adaptive large-scale group Delphi method is proposed. • Heterogeneous data with various uncertainties are modeled by normal cloud models. • A novel dynamic weights assignment algorithm is proposed. • A four-step data preprocessing process is proposed to filter out bad data. • The effectiveness and advantages are demonstrated by applications and comparisons. Managing a large number of participants in the Delphi survey encounters many challenges, such as heterogeneous data, high cost, dynamic quality, and various uncertainties, etc. This paper proposes a novel large-scale group Delphi method with heterogeneous decision information and dynamic weights to address these challenges. Heterogeneous data with various uncertainties, including exact numbers, interval numbers, normal cloud models, linguistic terms, and linguistic expressions, are converted into normal cloud models. Thus, both magnitudes and uncertainties of data can be preserved and propagated throughout the whole calculation process. Furthermore, this study also presents a data preprocessing technique consisting of four steps to discard invalid data and low-quality inputs. Moreover, a novel dynamic weights assignment algorithm is proposed to determine the weights for participants. Afterwards, detailed procedures and formal algorithm are developed. A practical application is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness, applicability, and advantages of the proposed methodology with examples and detailed comparative analysis. The application shows that the decision result becomes more stable and consentaneous. The comparative analysis indicates that the proposed methodology overcomes several challenges. Therefore, the proposed method can provide novel ideas for large-scale group decision making with heterogeneous data and various uncertainties in a dynamically changing decision environment. Eventually, this study contributes to several fields, such as the Delphi technique, group decision making, modeling of uncertainty, and heterogeneous data representation and processing, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Deformation stages affected the AE amplitude evolution during compression. • Particle size affect the re-breaking process of gangue backfilling materials. • Broken coal gangue has heterogeneous and layered re-breaking properties. • The adaptive backfilling strategies are proposed to protect mined environments. Gangue backfilling mining technology plays an important role in relieving environmental problems in mining area. The compression deformation and particle re-breaking properties of backfilling material directly affect gangue backfilling effect. In this study, three-dimensional acoustic emission (AE) positioning for broken particle materials was used to reveal the internal particle re-breaking process for broken backfilling coal gangue. The results can be summarized as follows: the compression deformation stage significantly affected the AE amplitude evolution during compression. In the initial and linear compaction stages, it increased gradually until stabilization at 90–100 dB. After compression to the plastic compaction stage, the AE amplitude gradually decreased, showing a higher decrease at smaller particle size. During the entire compression stage, more than 90 % of the AE amplitude was concentrated around 40–59 dB. According to the AE positioning and particle re-screening results, broken coal gangue exhibited layered re-breaking characteristics, that is, the particle re-breaking first occurred in the middle layer and then gradually shifted to the upper and lower layers with the stress increased. Larger particles were more likely to re-break under the same stress. Increasing the compacting force and reducing particle size of gangue backfilling materials in the middle of the mining goaf are proposed to improve the gangue backfilling effect and protect the ecological environment of mining areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed a systematic investigation on the magnetic properties of the single crystals of Cr 4 PtGa 17 , which is a Half-Heusler-type compound with distorted Kagome planes. The measured saturated and effective moments indicate an itinerant nature of the ferromagnetism at around 58 K with a Rhode-Wohlfarth ratio (RWR) equals 1.58 (1.57) for H ∕∕ ab (H ∕∕ c). Detailed analysis on critical behavior and the scaled magnetic entropy change verify the ferromagnetic transition at T c ∼ 58 K is of a second order. Critical exponents are generated to be β = 0.300 ± 0.002 with T c = 58.2 ± 0.1 K, γ = 1.211 ± 0.015 with T c = 58.0 ± 0.1 K, and δ = 5.04 ± 0.03 at T c = 58 K, exhibiting a three-dimensional critical behavior. The magnetic exchange coupling J (r) decreases spatially as J (r) ∼ r −4.86. Furthermore, the magnetic entropy change -Δ S M (T , H) are achieved, which features a maximum close to T c with - Δ S M m a x equals 0.413 (0.405) J kg−1K−1 under H ∕∕ ab (H ∕∕ c) with a field change of 5 T. The rotational magnetic entropy change Δ S M R is ∽ 0 J kg−1 K−1 at T > T c showing an almost isotropic behavior, and is < 0.03 J kg−1K−1 at T < T c exhibiting very weak anisotropy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]