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Background and Purpose Experimental Approach Key Results Conclusion and Implications Airway epithelial cells (AECs) regulate the activation of epithelial–mesenchymal trophic units (EMTUs) during airway remodelling through secretion of signalling mediators. However, the major trigger and the intrinsic pathogenesis of airway remodelling is still obscure.The differing expressed genes in airway epithelia related to airway remodelling were screened and verified by RNA‐sequencing and signalling pathway analysis. Then, the effects of increased cathepsin K (CTSK) in airway epithelia on airway remodelling and EMTU activation were identified both in vitro and in vivo, and the molecular mechanism was elucidated in the EMTU model. The potential of CTSK as an an effective biomarker of airway remodelling was analysed in an asthma cohort of differing severity. Finally, an inhibitor of CTSK was administered for potential therapeutic intervention for airway remodelling in asthma.The expression of CTSK in airway epithelia increased significantly along with the development of airway remodelling in a house dust mite (HDM)‐stressed asthma model. Increased secretion of CTSK from airway epithelia induced the activation of EMTUs by activation of the PAR2‐mediated pathway. Blockade of CTSK inhibited EMTU activation and alleviated airway remodelling as an effective intervention target of airway remodelling.Increased expression of CTSK in airway epithelia is involved in the development of airway remodelling in asthma through EMTU activation, mediated partly through the PAR2‐mediated signalling pathway. CTSK is a potential biomarker for airway remodelling, and may also be a useful intervention target for airway remodelling in asthma patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photosynthetic hydrogen induced by Chlamydomonas reinhardtii presents a promising pathway for producing clean and renewable biofuel. Whereas, this process is transient owing to the repression of [FeFe]-hydrogenase by the oxygen co-evolved in photosystem II. Pulsed light is employed to prevent O 2 accumulation and the activation of Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle for sustainable H 2. While light quality significantly influences photosynthesis, the optimal wavelength for pulsed light-induced H 2 production remains not fully elucidated. Continuous irradiation at 660–670 nm performs poorly in H 2 production due to the activation of PSII, which is responsible for water oxidation. However, in this study, O 2 was removed using a combination of pulsed light and sulfite treatment. Among six light regimes with different wavelengths, pulsed light peaking at 660 nm resulted in the highest photo-H 2 evolution, reaching approximately 180 mL L−1 within three days. This value was 1.4 times higher than that achieved under conventionally white pulsed light. Exposure to 660 nm red pulsed light not only sustained high activity of PSII and hydrogenase but also reduced the gene expression levels of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase and ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase, which was supposed to attenuate the competing effects of CBB cycle. This finding optimizes an efficient light source for pulsed light-induced H 2 production and demonstrates a great potential for refining pulsed light parameters to improve H 2 production in algae in the future. [Display omitted] • The effects of pulsed light wavelengths on H 2 photoproduction were investigated. • Red pulsed light at 660 nm exhibits the highest level of H 2 photoproduction ability. • Red pulsed light at 660 nm maintains the high activity of both PSII and H 2 ase. • Red pulsed light at 660 nm suppresses the activity of CBB cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of the Internet, the types and quantities of malware have grown rapidly, and how to identify unknown malware is becoming a new challenge. The traditional malware detection method based on fixed features is becoming more and more difficult. In order to improve detection accuracy and efficiency for mobile terminals, this paper proposed a malware detection method for mobile terminals based on application programming interface (API) call sequence, which was characterized by the API call sequence and used a series of feature preprocessing techniques to remove redundant processing of the API call sequence. Finally, the recurrent neural network method (RNN) was used to build the model and perform detection and verification. Furthermore, this paper constructed a malware detection model based on a two-way recurrent neural network and used the two-way long short-term memory network model (LSTM) to train the data set containing 5986 malware samples and 5065 benign software samples to obtain the final detection model and its parameters. Finally, the feature vector of the APK file to be detected was passed into the model and obtained the detection results. The experimental results indicated that the detection accuracy of this method can reach 93.68%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a numerical investigation on the residual stresses and co-existent equivalent plastic strains in cold-formed high-strength steel (CFHSS) circular hollow sections (CHS) by using an advanced finite element (FE)-based method. In this method, the entire manufacturing process of the CFHSS CHS was modeled numerically. The accuracy of the numerical predictions of equivalent plastic strains and residual stresses in the CFHSS CHS was verified by comparing the predictions with the existing test results of both the residual stress measurement and load-end shortening response of the stub column. By using the FE-based method, the effects of high-frequency electric resistance welding on the residual stresses and the stub column response were investigated. The through-thickness variations of both the equivalent plastic strains and residual stresses in CFHSS CHS, which are difficult to measure in the laboratory, were explored numerically. Finally, the effect of cold work (which is quantified by the equivalent plastic strains and residual stresses) on the stub column response of CFHSS CHS tubes was evaluated. It can be found that the equivalent plastic strains and longitudinal residual stresses are generally uniform around the cross-section of CFHSS CHS. The transverse and longitudinal residual stresses are generally uniform across each half-thickness, with the inner half-thickness under compression and the outer half-thickness under tension. The results also demonstrate that both the plastic strains and residual stresses may significantly affect the cross-section capacities of CFHSS CHS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The membrane-based liquid desiccant dehumidification system is a newly developed method in the field of air dehumidification. In this study, double-layer nanofibrous membranes (DLNMs) with directional vapor transport and water repellency for liquid dehumidification were fabricated by a simple electrospinning process. Specifically, the combination of thermoplastic polyurethane nanofibrous membrane and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibrous membrane forms a cone-like structure in DLNMs, resulting in directional vapor transportation. The nanoporous structure and rough surface of PVDF nanofibrous membrane provide waterproof performance for DLNMs. Compare with the commercial membranes, the proposed DLNMs have a significantly higher water vapor permeability coefficient, which is as high as 539.67 g· μ m m−2·24 h·Pa. This study not only provides a new route to construct a directional vapor transport and waterproof membrane, but also demonstrates the huge application prospect of the nanofibrous membrane formed by electrospinning in the field of solution dehumidification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acetogens are anaerobes using Wood–Ljungdahl pathway (WLP) as the terminal electron acceptor for both assimilation and dissimilation of CO2 and widely distributed in diverse habitats. However, their habitat adaptation is often unclear. Given that bacterial genome evolution is often the result of environmental selective pressure, hereby we analysed gene copy number, phylogeny and selective pressure of genes involved in WLP within known genomes of 43 species to study the habitat adaption of gastrointestinal acetogens. The gene copy number of formate dehydrogenase (FDH) in gastrointestinal acetogens was much lower than that of non‐gastrointestinal acetogens, and in five cases, no FDH genes were found in the genomes of five gastrointestinal acetogens, but that of the other WLP genes showed no difference. The evolutionary pattern of FDH genes was significantly different from that of the other enzymes. Additionally, seven positively selected sites were only identified in the fdhF genes, which means fdhF mutations favoured their adaptation. Collectively, reduction or loss of FDH genes and their evolutionary pattern as well as positive selection in gastrointestinal acetogens indicated their adaptation to formate‐rich habitats, implying that FDH genes catalysing CO2 reduction to formate as the first step of methyl branch of WLP may have evolved independently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The comprehension of spoken language is one of the most essential language functions in humans. However, the neurological underpinnings of auditory comprehension remain under debate. Here we used multi‐modal neuroimaging analyses on a group of patients with low‐grade gliomas to localize cortical regions and white matter tracts responsible for auditory language comprehension. Region‐of‐interests and voxel‐level whole‐brain analyses showed that cortical areas in the posterior temporal lobe are crucial for language comprehension. The fiber integrity assessed with diffusion tensor imaging of the arcuate fasciculus and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus was strongly correlated with both auditory comprehension and the grey matter volume of the inferior temporal and middle temporal gyri. Together, our findings provide direct evidence for an integrated network of auditory comprehension whereby the superior temporal gyrus and sulcus, the posterior parts of the middle and inferior temporal gyri serve as auditory comprehension cortex, and the arcuate fasciculus and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus subserve as crucial structural connectivity. These findings provide critical evidence on the neural underpinnings of language comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: DNA damage in airway epithelia under exogenous disruptors can trigger various pulmonary diseases. Integrin beta 4 (ITGB4) is a structural adhesion molecule, which is indicated to regulate the process of DNA damage in airway epithelia for its unique long cytoplasmic domain subunit. Methods: The expression level of ITGB4 and the degree of DNA damage were observed in the house dust mite (HDM)‐stressed model and ozone‐challenged model, respectively. Besides, ITGB4 conditional knockout mice and ITGB4‐deficient airway epithelial cells were constructed to observe the influence of ITGB4 deficiency on DNA damage. Furthermore, the influence of ITGB4 deficiency on HDAC1 expression in airway epithelia was determined under stress stimulation. Finally, corresponding intervention strategies were carried out to verify the involvement of the ITGB4‐mediated HDAC1 pathway in DNA damage of airway epithelial cells. Results: HDM stress and ozone challenge reduced the expression of ITGB4, which is accompanied by the increased expression of 8‐oxoG and γ‐H2AX both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, ITGB4 deficiency in airway epithelia aggravates the degree of DNA damage under HDM stimulation and ozone stress, respectively. Furthermore, ITGB4 deficiency downregulated the expression of HDAC1 during DNA damage, and restoring HDAC1 can reverse the enhanced DNA damage in airway epithelial cells after exogenous stress. Conclusions: This study confirmed the involvement of ITGB4 in the regulation of DNA damage through mediating HDAC1 in airway epithelial cells under exogenous stress. These results supply some useful insights into the mechanism of DNA damage in airway epithelial cells, which would provide possible targets for early prediction and intervention of pulmonary diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS) is a rare malignancy which can be difficult to manage due to the variety of clinical behaviors. In this study, we aimed to develop a parametric modeling framework to quantify the relationship between postoperative dynamics of several biomarkers and overall/progression‐free survival of RPS. One hundred seventy‐four patients with RPS who received surgical resection with curative intent at the Peking University Cancer Hospital Sarcoma Center were retrospectively included. Potential prognostic factors were preliminarily identified. Longitudinal analyses of body mass index (BMI), serum total protein (TP), and white blood cells (WBCs) were performed using nonlinear mixed effects models. The impacts of time‐varying and time‐invariant predictors on survival were investigated by parametric time‐to‐event (TTE) models. The majority of patients experienced decline in BMI, recovery of TP, as well as transient elevation in WBC counts after surgery, which significantly correlated with survival. An indirect‐response model incorporating surgery effect described the fluctuation in percentage BMI. The recovery of TP was captured by a modified Gompertz model, and a semimechanistic model was selected for WBCs. TTE models estimated that the daily cumulative average of predicted BMI and WBC, the seventh‐day TP, as well as certain baseline variables, were significant predictors of survival. Model‐based simulations were performed to examine the clinical significance of prognostic factors. The current work quantified the individual trajectories of prognostic biomarkers in response to surgery and predicted clinical outcomes, which would constitute an additional strategy for disease monitoring and intervention in postoperative RPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The empirical wavelet transform (EWT) algorithm was applied in ultrasound to explore the predictive value for fetal growth restriction (FGR) in fetal arteriovenous indexes. 142 pregnant women who received prenatal ultrasonic examination and delivered were selected. They were classified into control group and FGR group. There were 102 patients with normal pregnancy in the control group, and 40 patients with delayed fetal growth in the FGR group. The extended triple collocation (ETC) algorithm was employed to divide the Fourier spectrum of signals adaptively, and the constructed small filter banks were classified into corresponding intervals. The instantaneous frequency was analyzed, and the arterial blood flow indexes of the two groups were compared. The results showed that the time-frequency analysis method under EWT had lower normalization error and higher accuracy. The inner diameter and cross-sectional area of FGR were remarkably smaller than those of the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in mean blood flow and mean blood velocity between the control group and FGR group (P > 0.05). The arterial blood flow parameters of the systolic flow velocity (VS) and the diastolic flow velocity (VD) in the FGR group were notably lower than those in the control group, and the differences were significant (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the frequency principal component extracted by EWT algorithm was less disturbed by noise, which could accurately and effectively evaluate fetal arteriovenous blood flow indexes and predict FGR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aims to further investigate the association of COVID-19 disease severity with numerous patient characteristics, and to develop a convenient severity prediction scale for use in self-assessment at home or in preliminary screening in community healthcare settings.Setting and Participants: Data from 45,450 patients infected with COVID-19 from January 1 to February 27, 2020 were extracted from the municipal Notifiable Disease Report System in Wuhan, China.Primary and Secondary Outcome Measures: We categorized COVID-19 disease severity, based on The Chinese Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for COVID-19, as "nonsevere" (which grouped asymptomatic, mild, and ordinary disease) versus "severe" (grouping severe and critical illness).Results: Twelve scale items-age, gender, illness duration, dyspnea, shortness of breath (clinical evidence of altered breathing), hypertension, pulmonary disease, diabetes, cardio/cerebrovascular disease, number of comorbidities, neutrophil percentage, and lymphocyte percentage-were identified and showed good predictive ability (area under the curve = 0·72). After excluding the community healthcare laboratory parameters, the remaining model (the final self-assessment scale) showed similar area under the curve (= 0·71).Conclusions: Our COVID-19 severity self-assessment scale can be used by patients in the community to predict their risk of developing severe illness and the need for further medical assistance. The tool is also practical for use in preliminary screening in community healthcare settings. Our study constructed a COVID-19 severity self-assessment scale that can be used by patients in the community to predict their risk of developing severe illness and the need for further medical assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, extensive research is showing that deep learning has enormous potential in image steganography. However, most steganography methods based on deep learning are not sufficiently invisible. In this paper, a novel end-to-end deep neural network for image steganography based on generative adversarial network (GAN) and discrete wavelet transformation (DWT) is proposed, which can greatly improve the invisibility of the method. Firstly, the cover image is transformed from the RGB domain to the DWT domain to embed information in frequency. Furthermore, a multi-scale attention convolution to fuse different scales of feature information is proposed, which can help the model to find a better location to embed the information. Finally, the fusion module is used to embed the information into the cover image at different modification intensities. In addition, a new Discriminator that compares cover images and stego images in a patch-to-patch way to improve the ability of the Discriminator. We analyze our algorithm from multiple aspects (e.g., security and invisibility) to verify the superior performance of the proposed method. To demonstrate generalization ability, experiments are conducted on three widely used datasets and show the superior performance of our method compared to other steganography methods based on deep learning. • End-to-end deep neural network based image steganography method. • An effective DWT based method to embed information in frequency. • A multi-scale attention convolution is used to find a better embedding location. • A fusion module is used to embed data at different modification intensities. • A new Discriminator that compares cover and stego in a patch-to-patch way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, deep learning-based video inpainting algorithms can fill in a specified video region with visually plausible content, usually leaving imperceptible traces. Since deep video inpainting methods can be used to maliciously manipulate video content, there is an urgent need for an effective method to detect and localize deep video inpainting. In this paper, we propose a dual-stream video inpainting detection network, which includes a ConvNeXt dual-stream encoder and a multi-scale feature cross-fusion decoder. To further explore the spatial and temporal traces left by deep inpainting, we extract motion residuals and enhance them using 3D convolution and SRM filtering. Furthermore, we extract filtered residuals using LoG and Laplacian filtering. These residuals are then entered into ConvNeXt, thereby learning discriminative inpainting features. To enhance detection accuracy, we design a top-down pyramid decoder that aims at deep fusion of multi-dimensional multi-scale features to fully exploit the information of different dimensions and levels in detail. We created two datasets containing state-of-the-art video inpainting algorithms and conducted various experiments to evaluate our approach. The experimental results demonstrate that our approach outperforms existing methods and attains a competitive performance despite encountering unseen inpainting algorithms. • End-to-end video inpainting detection and localization method. • Two effective residual extraction module to enhance the inpainting artifacts. • A top-down structure for fusing multi-dimensional and multi-scale features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new catalyst, Sm2NdSbO7, was synthesized for the first time by solid-phase sintering. The study utilized X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to examine the structural characteristics of monocrystal BiDyO3, monocrystal Sm2NdSbO7 and Sm2NdSbO7/BiDyO3 heterojunction photocatalysts (SBHP) prepared by solid-phase sintering. The Sm2NdSbO7 photocatalyst owned a pyrochlorite structure, belonged to the face-centered cubic crystal system, possessed a space group of Fd3m and a bandgap width of 2.750 eV. After 145 min of visible light irradiation (145-VLIRD), the removal rate (RMR) of methyl parathion (MP) or total organic carbon of SBHP was 100% or 97.58%, respectively. After 145-VLIRD, the photocatalytic degradation rates of SBHP to MP were 1.13 times, 1.20 times, and 2.43 times higher than those of the Sm2NdSbO7 photocatalyst, the BiDyO3 photocatalyst, and the nitrogen-doped TiO2 catalyst, respectively. The experimental results showed that SBHP had good photocatalytic activity. After four cycles of cyclic degradation experiments with SBHP, the elimination rates of MP were 98.76%, 97.44%, 96.32%, and 95.72%, respectively. The results showed that SBHP had good stability. Finally, the possible degradation pathways and degradation mechanisms of MP were speculated. In this study, we successfully developed a high-efficiency heterojunction catalyst which responded to visible light and possessed significant photocatalytic activity. The catalyst could be used in photocatalytic reaction system for eliminating the harmful organic pollutants from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ge-Gen-Jiao-Tai-Wan (GGJTW) formula has been used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in China for a long time. Our previous study has proved that GGJTW could alleviate the type 2 diabetic symptoms, but the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the changes in gut microbiota and primary bile acids (PBAs) to determine the potential mechanisms of GGJTW in treating T2DM.The fecal transplant method and pseudogerm-free rats were used in our study.The16S rRNA gene sequencing method was used to analyze the changes in the intestinal flora, and PBAs in the colon contents were detected. Finally, the expression of farnesoid X receptor (FXR), G protein-coupled membrane receptor 5 (TGR5), and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) was assessed. Following GGJTW treatment, we observed a decrease in blood glucose levels and improvements in glucose tolerance and serum lipid levels. Furthermore, we found that GGJTW could regulate the composition of the gut microbiota and upregulate the diabetic beneficial phylum Firmicutes and bile-acid-related genus Lactobacillus. PBAs in the colon contents were increased in the GGJTW-treated group, accompanied by upregulated expression of the bile acid receptors FXR and TGR5 and increased concentrations of GLP-1. These results indicated that GGJTW could alleviate symptoms of type 2 diabetic rats by regulating the gut microbiota, promoting the production of PBAs, and upregulating the PBA-FXR/TGR5-GLP-1 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Advanced FE modeling of cold-formed stainless steel (CFSS) EHS under combined loads. • A parametric study on the CFSS EHS stub-column behavior under combined loading. • Codified design rules and existing CSM for CFSS CHS under combined loading assessed. • Modified CSM and new interaction design curves for CFSS EHS under combined loading. • Reliability analyses for both the current and proposed design methods are presented. This paper aims to investigate the cross-section response of cold-formed stainless steel (CFSS) elliptical hollow sections (EHS) under combined biaxial bending and axial compression. In the present study, an advanced finite element (FE) model was adopted to perform a comprehensive parametric study for CFSS EHS under combined biaxial bending and axial compression, with different stainless steel alloys, as well as a broad range of cross-section sizes, aspect ratios, loading eccentricities and angles. Numerical results obtained from the parametric study were compared with the design strengths calculated by the current design rules in European code EN 1993-1-4, American specification SEI/ASCE 8-02 and Australian/New Zealand standard AS/NZS 4673. In addition, the Continuous Strength Method (CSM) for CFSS circular hollow sections (CHS) under combined actions, was also evaluated for the design of CFSS EHS under combined actions. The comparisons revealed that the current design codes EN 1993-1-4, SEI/ASCE 8-02 and AS/NZS 4673 provided conservative and very scattered predictions for CFSS EHS under combined actions. The existing CSM can provide more accurate predictions than the current design codes (i.e., AS/NZS 4673, EN 1993-1-4 and SEI/ASCE 8-02), but a further improvement is needed. In the present study, a modified CSM is proposed for CFSS EHS under combined actions, which can achieve reliable and accurate design predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eu2SmSbO7 and ZnBiEuO4 were synthesized for the first time using the hydrothermal method. Eu2SmSbO7/ZnBiEuO4 heterojunction photocatalyst (EZHP) was synthesized for the first time using the solvothermal method. The crystal cell parameter of Eu2SmSbO7 was 10.5547 Å. The band gap width of Eu2SmSbO7 was measured and found to be 2.881 eV. The band gap width of ZnBiEuO4 was measured and found to be 2.571 eV. EZHP efficiently degraded the pesticide chlorpyrifos under visible light irradiation (VLID). After VLID of 160 min, the conversion rate of the chlorpyrifos concentration reached 100%, while the conversion rate of the total organic carbon (TOC) concentration was 98.02% using EZHP. After VLID of 160 min, the photocatalytic degradation conversion rates of chlorpyrifos using EZHP were 1.13 times, 1.19 times, and 2.84 times those using Eu2SmSbO7, ZnBiEuO4, and nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide (N-doped TiO2), respectively. The photocatalytic activity could be ranked as follows: EZHP > Eu2SmSbO7 > ZnBiEuO4 > N-doped TiO2. The conversion rates of chlorpyrifos were 98.16%, 97.03%, 96.03%, and 95.06% for four cycles of experiments after VLID of 160 min using EZHP. This indicated that EZHP was stable and could be reused. In addition, the experiments with the addition of capture agents demonstrated that the oxidation removal ability of three oxidation free radicals for degrading chlorpyrifos obeyed the following order: hydroxyl radical > superoxide anion > holes. This study examined the intermediates of chlorpyrifos during the photocatalytic degradation of chlorpyrifos, and a degradation path was proposed, at the same time, the degradation mechanism of chlorpyrifos was revealed. This study provides a scientific basis for the development of efficient heterojunction photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dexamethasone (DEX), a synthetic glucocorticoid, exhibited anti-cancer efficacy in pancreatic xenografts derived from patient tumor tissue or cancer cell lines. The aim of this study was to establish pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) models to quantitatively characterize the inhibitory effect of DEX on tumor growth as well as its discrepancy among 3 xenograft models. Data of tumor growth profiles were collected from a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model in NOD/SCID mice and 2 cell line–derived (PANC-1 and SW1990) xenograft models in BALB/c nude mice. Empirical PK/PD models were developed to establish mathematical relationships between plasma concentration of DEX and tumor growth dynamics after integrating PK parameters extracted from literature. Drug effect in each model was well described by a linear inhibitory function with a potency factor of 4.67, 3.14, and 2.35 L/mg for PDX, PANC-1, and SW1990 xenograft, respectively. Human efficacious doses of DEX were preliminarily predicted through model-based simulation, and 60% tumor growth inhibition at clinical exposure corresponded to a daily dose range of 26-52 mg intravenously. This modeling work quantified the preclinical anti-cancer effect of DEX and demonstrated the feasibility of its medication in pancreatic cancer, which would be conductive to future translational research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the importance of epidermal functions, including stratum corneum hydration and maintenance of permeability barrier homeostasis, in the pathogenesis of a variety of cutaneous and systemic disorders, a wide range of products has been developed to improve epidermal functions. However, the underlying mechanisms whereby certain products, including heparinoid‐containing product, are far little understood. In the present study, we assessed the impact of a heparinoid‐containing product, Hirudoid® cream, on epidermal permeability barrier function and expression levels of a panel of epidermal mRNA related to the formation/maintenance of the permeability barrier in mouse skin. Our results showed that while the baseline levels of transepidermal water rates remained unchanged, treatment with Hirudoid® cream twice daily for 7 days significantly accelerated permeability barrier recovery and increased stratum corneum hydration. In parallel, expression levels of epidermal mRNA for certain differentiation marker‐related proteins, lipid synthetic enzymes, keratinocyte proliferation and antimicrobial peptides also increased significantly. Together, these results provide the underlying mechanisms by which topical Hirudoid® cream improves epidermal permeability barrier and antimicrobial function. Because of its benefits for epidermal functions, heparinoid‐containing product could be more useful in the management of skin conditions, characterized by abnormal permeability barrier and antimicrobial function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Values such as cellular sum in initial configurations and neighbor radius can potentially affect confusion and diffusion in cellular automata. Specifically, both confusion and diffusion characteristics in cellular automata usually are not sufficient to break up the high correlation between the secret image pixels when these two parameters are too small. Thus, using only One-Dimensional Reversible Memory Cellular Automata (ODRM-CA) to generate shadow images will lead to the leakage of original secret image's information by some shadow images. In order to solve this problem, in this paper, we propose an image secret sharing (ISS) scheme with no third-party scrambling method. This is realized by increasing the values of cellular sum and neighbor radius to implement the scrambling process for the secret image, thus both processes of image scrambling and image secret sharing can be achieved by ODRM-CA. Experimental results show that this scheme can generate strong random shadow images to avoid leaking information of the original secret image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emergency measures are effective measures that can be quickly taken in response to heavy air pollution. They not only have an obvious impact on slowing down the accumulation of particulate matter but also have a significant impact on public health and socio-economic development. Therefore, to analyze the effectiveness of emergency measures, one must assess their environmental, health and economic impacts. In this paper, we use exposure-response functions and a city-level computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to do so for China's Jing-Jin-Ji region. We find that the emergency measures implemented in 2019 significantly improve the region's air quality and enhance public health by reducing risk associated with acute bronchitis. Moreover, those emergency measures notably benefit the Jing-Jin-Ji region economically by expanding labor supply, most notably in Beijing and Tianjin. It seems Beijing and Tianjin should compensate industrial cities in Hebei, which enabled the Jing-Jin-Ji region's better air quality but encountered far fewer economic benefits. Handan, Baoding, and Cangzhou are among the cities in Hebei that are expanding employment in manufacturing and service sectors. These results can provide scientific guidance and policy suggestions for government while using emergency measures to combat regional heavy air pollution considering its health and economic benefits. • Evaluating impacts of inter-regional air pollution controls at city level in China. • Overall evaluate environmental, health, and economic impacts of emergency measures. • Emergency measures improve air quality, enhancing public health by reducing risk. • Emergency measures notably benefit the region economically by expanding labor supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Advanced FE model for CF tubular beam-columns under combined loading is presented. • A parametric study on the CF steel EHS beam-column behavior under combined loading. • Effects of key parameters on the column strength of CF steel EHS beam-columns. • New design recommendations for CF steel EHS beam-columns under combined loading. • Reliability analysis for both the current and modified Eurocode-3 design methods. The present study numerically investigated the global instability of cold-formed (CF) steel elliptical hollow section (EHS) members under combined compression and biaxial bending. A finite element (FE) model for CF tubular members under combined compression and biaxial bending was first developed, in which the strength enhancement, geometric imperfection and residual stresses due to roll-forming were incorporated. The FE model was validated against the existing test results. The validated FE model was employed to carry out a parametric study for CF steel EHS members, which covers an extensive range of cross-section geometries, material grades (including both high strength and normal grade steels), member slenderness, loading eccentricities and loading angles. Based on the generated FE data, the application of the current interaction design formulae for steel members under combined loading in EN 1993–1-1, together with the codified slenderness limits for circular hollow section (CHS) under combined loading, were assessed for the design of CF steel EHS members under combined compression and biaxial bending. It can be found that the design formulae in EN 1993–1-1, together with the slenderness limits for CHS, can give very conservative predictions for CF steel EHS members under combined loading. In addition, the influences of different parameters, including the loading eccentricity, loading angle, loading level and the reduction factor for lateral-torsional buckling, on the member behavior were also examined. Finally, new design recommendations are proposed for the design of CF steel EHS members under combined compression and biaxial bending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A FE-based method is presented for residual stresses in cold-formed (CF) steel tubes. • The method is applicable to CF tubes of various sectional shapes and material grades. • Main forming operations of CF tubes by the continuous-forming method were modelled. • Residual stresses in cold-formed steel EHS, RHS and SHS were studied. • FE predictions of residual stresses were compared with laboratory measurements. Abstract Residual stresses and plastic strains in steel tubes are induced by their manufacturing processes and play an important role in determining their mechanical and structural behaviour. The manufacturing process of cold-formed steel hollow sections can be divided into four main stages: (1) the coiling and uncoiling of a steel strip, (2) the transverse bending of the uncoiled strip into a circular shape, (3) the welding of the circular tube along the longitudinal strip edges, and (4) the shaping of the welded circular steel tube into a specific cross-sectional shape. In this paper, a finite element-based method is presented for predicting residual stresses and equivalent plastic strains in cold-formed steel hollow sections (including elliptical, square, and rectangular shapes of both normal grade steel and high strength steel). In this method, residual stresses and equivalent plastic strains due to the coiling, uncoiling and transverse bending operations are predicted analytically, and applied as the initial state for the subsequent finite element simulations of both welding and shaping operations. Predictions from this method show satisfying agreement with experimental measurements, which demonstrate the validity of the proposed method. This method can predict the distributions of residual stresses and equivalent plastic strains across the thickness and over the cross section, which are too complex to be measured completely in laboratory. The method provides a tool for investigating the effects of different material and forming parameters on the resulting cold work and structural behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The state-space method is used for modular modeling of HVAC components. • The graph theory is used to depict and analyze the state-space models. • A dynamic model for VAV system is established based on the state-space models. • ARIMA-based predictive PI controller is investigated by the dynamic system model. Abstract To improve the modeling efficiency of HVAC system, the modular models for HVAC components are to be established by using the state-space method in this study. The component modular models are used to establish a dynamic system model for a VAV (variable-air-volume) system, and the dynamic system model has been validated by transient response experiments. As an example of model application, the ARIMA-based predictive PI controller for room temperature has been investigated with the system model, which is shown to have the better control effect than the traditional PI controller, and this has been validated by experiments as well. The work in this study will be of significance to the dynamic modeling and control algorithm study of air conditioning systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unprecedented photocatalyst, Sm2EuSbO7, was successfully fabricated in this paper, through a high-temperature solid-state calcination method, which represented its first ever synthesis. Additionally, using the solvothermal method, the Sm2EuSbO7/ZnBiSbO5 heterojunction photocatalyst (SZHP) was fabricated, marking its debut in this study. XRD analysis confirmed that both Sm2EuSbO7 and ZnBiSbO5 exhibited pyrochlore-type crystal structures with a cubic lattice, belonging to the Fd3m space group. The crystal cell parameter was determined to be 10.5682 Å or 10.2943 Å for Sm2EuSbO7 or ZnBiSbO5, respectively. The band gap width measured for Sm2EuSbO7 or ZnBiSbO5 was 2.73 eV or 2.61 eV, respectively. Under visible light irradiation for 150 min (VLTI-150 min), SZHP exhibited remarkable photocatalytic activity, achieving 100% removal of parathion methyl (PM) concentration and 99.45% removal of total organic carbon (TOC) concentration. The kinetic constant (k) for PM degradation and visible light illumination treatment was determined to be 0.0206 min−1, with a similar constant k of 0.0202 min−1 observed for TOC degradation. Remarkably, SZHP exhibited superior PM removal rates compared with Sm2EuSbO7, ZnBiSbO5, or N-doped TiO2 photocatalyst, accompanied by removal rates 1.09 times, 1.20 times, or 2.38 times higher, respectively. Furthermore, the study investigated the oxidizing capability of free radicals through the use of trapping agents. The results showed that hydroxyl radicals had the strongest oxidative capability, followed by superoxide anions and holes. These findings provide a solid scientific foundation for future research and development of efficient heterojunction compound catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital image inpainting technology has increasingly gained popularity as a result of the development of image processing and machine vision. However, digital image inpainting can be used not only to repair damaged photographs, but also to remove specific people or distort the semantic content of images. To address the issue of image inpainting forgeries, a hybrid CNN-Transformer Network (CTNet), which is composed of the hybrid CNN-Transformer encoder, the feature enhancement module, and the decoder module, is proposed for image inpainting detection and localization. Different from existing inpainting detection methods that rely on hand-crafted attention mechanisms, the hybrid CNN-Transformer encoder employs CNN as a feature extractor to build feature maps tokenized as the input patches of the Transformer encoder. The hybrid structure exploits the innate global self-attention mechanisms of Transformer and can effectively capture the long-term dependency of the image. Since inpainting traces mainly exist in the high-frequency components of digital images, the feature enhancement module performs feature extraction in the frequency domain. The decoder regularizes the upsampling process of the predicted masks with the assistance of high-frequency features. We investigate the generalization capacity of our CTNet on datasets generated by ten commonly used inpainting methods. The experimental results show that the proposed model can detect a variety of unknown inpainting operations after being trained on the datasets generated by a single inpainting method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Western countries, bladder cancer (BCa) is one of the most common types of malignancy, with highest incidence rate among urinary system malignancies. At present, as a strategy to preserve the quality and function of the bladder tissues, external-beam radiotherapy has been applied to an increasing number of patients with BCa, particularly the elderly and those in poor health. The onset of acquired radioresistance (ARR) during radiotherapy notably reduces the effectiveness of radiotherapy; however, the cause of ARR is unclear and remains untreatable. In order to investigate the mechanism of ARR, clinical fractionated irradiation was mimicked in vitro to obtain radioresistant BCa cells, 5637R, in the present study. Compared with the parental cell line, 5637R cells exhibited an increased distribution of S phase cells, enhanced migration ability and elevated levels of phosphorylated-STAT3, as determined using flow cytometry, cell migration analysis and western blotting, respectively. Furthermore, 5637R cells exhibited notable increases in extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation in response to ionizing radiation (IR) compared with 5637 cells. In addition, 5637R cells showed an early G2/M arrest within 8 h post-IR (18.23±3.85 vs. 6.42±3.82%, IR cells vs. control cells), whereas 5637 cells were arrested in G2/M phase 24 h post-IR (19.26±2.21 vs. 12.36±4.45%, IR cells vs. control cells). Overall, the present study suggested that phosphorylated STAT3 may be a potential biomarker to predict radioresistance and tumor recurrence in patients with BCa following conventional radiotherapeutic intervention. In addition, co-treatment with ERK inhibitor may be a viable approach to increase the anticancer efficacy of radiotherapy in patients with ARR; however, further investigation is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water vapor diffusion resistance is an important property of porous membranes. In the paper, a new apparatus for specially measuring the water vapor diffusion resistance of porous membranes was developed. In the new apparatus, the humidity of circulating carrier air streams flowing over both sides of test membrane are controlled by different saturated salt solutions, which makes a variety of humidity conditions and improves the humidity stability. In order to decrease the error caused by the air boundary layer, the structure of the test chamber was optimized with the help of computational fluid dynamics technology. Seven types of porous membranes with stable moisture permeability were tested by the new apparatus at relative humidity gradients of 0.42, 0.45, 0.51, 0.55, 0.64, 0.69, 0.73 and 0.78 across the porous membranes at 25 °C. The results of the new apparatus were compared with the results of nitrogen carrier apparatus and ISO 2528. The maximum relative errors of the new apparatus and the nitrogen carrier apparatus compared to the ISO 2528 method are 22.3% and 19%, respectively. The test results of the three methods are in good agreement. The new apparatus is a simple, low-cost and time-saving alternative for measuring the water vapor diffusion resistance of porous membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passive video forensics has drawn much attention in recent years. However, research on detection of object-based forgery, especially for forged video encoded with advanced codec frameworks, is still a great challenge. In this paper, we propose a deep learning-based approach to detect object-based forgery in the advanced video. The presented deep learning approach utilizes a convolutional neural network (CNN) to automatically extract high-dimension features from the input image patches. Different from the traditional CNN models used in computer vision domain, we let video frames go through three preprocessing layers before being fed into our CNNmodel. They include a frame absolute difference layer to cut down temporal redundancy between video frames, a max pooling layer to reduce computational complexity of image convolution, and a high-pass filter layer to enhance the residual signal left by video forgery. In addition, an asymmetric data augmentation strategy has been established to get a similar number of positive and negative image patches before the training. The experiments have demonstrated that the proposed CNN-based model with the preprocessing layers has achieved excellent results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mg-Li hybrid batteries have attracted wide interest in recent years because of their potential safety as well as their cost benefit and high volumetric capacity. However, slow kinetic properties strongly hinder their commercial application. In this study, we have prepared spinel LiCrTiO4 by a solid-state reaction and have conducted a comprehensive study aimed at improving the performance of Mg-Li hybrid batteries by optimizing the dual-salt electrolyte. LiCrTiO4 has been found to show reversible discharge/charge capacities of 178 and 169 mA h g−1 in electrolytes of 1 m LiCl and 0.3 m APC (all-phenyl-complex), respectively. When the concentration of APC was increased to 0.4 m, LiCrTiO4 showed a high capacity retention of 95 % after 30 cycles. In addition, no phase transition could be observed for an LiCrTiO4 electrode in a dual-salt system, suggesting high electrochemical reversibility. Ex situ EDX and SEM studies have indicated that only Li+ ions are inserted into the cathode side, while Mg2+ ions are reversibly deposited on the surface of Mg metal without dendrite-like growth, indicative of good safety of the Mg-Li hybrid batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new polymer-based composite desiccant, Polyvinyl alcohol-LiCl nanofibrous membrane (PVA-LiCl NFM), has been prepared by the electrospinning technique. The newly-developed desiccant membrane not only has large moisture adsorption capacity, fast moisture adsorption rate and favorable stability, but also is featured by its low regeneration temperature. In this work, adsorption and desorption kinetic models are explored for PVA-LiCl NFMs, which include the pseudo-first and the pseudo-second order model based on the rate law and a diffusion model based on the Fick's law. The results indicate that the moisture adsorption and desorption kinetics of the PVA-LiCl NFMs follow the pseudo-second-order law very well. As the key parameters in the diffusion model, the equilibrium adsorption capacity and the diffusion coefficient are focused on, and they can be well determined by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) model and the radial-basis-functions artificial neural network (RBFANN) model, respectively. Finally, the adsorption and desorption activation energy of the PVA-LiCl NFM with a 0.15 mass ratio of LiCl to PVA are recognized as 24.36 and 26.52 kJ/mol, respectively. The work is of great importance to the better application of the newly-developed desiccant material (PVA-LiCl NFM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrospun PVA (polyvinyl alcohol)-LiCl composite membranes were prepared as novel solid desiccants. Experimental results show that nanofibrous membranes (NFMs) exhibit notable advantages in sorption capacity, sorption rate and low-temperature desorption rate, as compared with the solution-cast PVA-LiCl membranes (SCMs). The PVA NFM with 15 wt% LiCl can sorb 1.04 g g −1 water at 25 °C and 90% relative humidity (RH), which is more than twice of the reported capacity of silica gel. Due to the nano-structure and small diffusion distance, the desiccant membranes have fast sorption and desorption rates. The desorption isobars show that about 90% of the sorbed moisture can be removed at temperatures between 40 °C and 60 °C, which makes it promising to utilize solar energy or exhaust heat for air dehumidification. The composite desiccant membranes can also be recycled without the degradation of sorption and desorption performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Normal pregnancy is a state of hypercoagulability with diminishing fibrinolytic activity, which is mainly caused by an increase of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1). PAI-1 is the main inhibitor of plasminogen activators, including tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA). In human placentas, PAI-1 is expressed in extravillous interstitial trophoblasts and vascular trophoblasts. During implantation and placentation, PAI-1 is responsible for inhibiting extra cellular matrix (ECM) degradation, thereby causing an inhibition of trophoblasts invasion. In the present study, we have reviewed the literature of various reproductive diseases where PAI-1 plays a role. PAI-1 levels are increased in patients with recurrent pregnancy losses (RPL), preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in the previous pregnancy, endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In general, an increased expression of PAI-1 in the blood is associated with an increased risk for infertility and a worse pregnancy outcome. GDM and PCOS are related to the genetic role of the 4G/5G polymorphism of PAI-1. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge of the role of PAI-1 in reproductive diseases. PAI-1 represents a promising monitoring biomarker for reproductive diseases and may be a treatment target in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a numerical study on the cross-section behavior of cold-formed (CF) steel elliptical hollow sections (EHS) under combined compression and biaxial bending. In the present study, a finite element (FE) model for CF steel tubular stub columns under combined compression and biaxial bending was first developed, in which the local geometric imperfections, residual stresses and enhanced material behavior were predicted by a rigorous numerical simulation of roll forming. The developed FE model for CF steel tubular stub columns under combined compression and biaxial bending was validated against test results of various tubular sections (including EHS). Then, the validated FE model was employed to carry out a parametric study for CF steel EHS with a large range of steel grades (including both high strength and normal grade steels), section sizes, loading eccentricities and angles. Based on the generated FE data, the traditional design specifications for doubly symmetric cross-sections under combined loading in EN 1993-1-1: 2005 (CEN, 2005) and ANSI/AISC 360-16 (AISC, 2016), as well as the current design equations for hot-finished (HF) normal grade steel EHS suggested by Gardner et al. (2011) under combined loading were evaluated for the design of CF steel EHS under combined loading. New slenderness limits of Class 2 and Class 3 sections, as well as new design equations of cross-section resistances, for CF steel EHS stub columns under combined compression and biaxial bending are proposed. • Advanced FE approach for modeling of CF tubular stub columns under combined loading. • A parametric study on stub column behavior of CF steel EHS under combined loading. • New equations for the section moduli of the four-arc approximated EHS are proposed. • Existing slenderness limits and existing design methods were assessed. • New slenderness limits and new design rules for CF steel EHS under combined loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless and long-range energy transmission is an essential technology in the era of the Internet of Things, and currently it still relies on rigid and bulky metal antennas, which is incompatible with future wearable electronics. Here, we report a wearable and long-range MXene (Ti3C2Tx) 5G antenna energy harvester system that functions reliably as a wireless and battery-free power source for uninterrupted sensing and wireless data transmission. The MXene 5G antenna can efficiently harvest radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic energy at a 5G frequency range 1 band of 915 MHz, under a minimum input RF power density of 0.005 mW·cm−2, about 16 times lower than the threshold value for a control copper antenna. The device shows good mechanical bendability as it keeps over 99% power transfer efficiency at a bending angle of 90°. Our results open a new route for developing next-generation wireless powering for wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are deregulated in various vascular ailments including abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). MiR-103 is involved in vascular, metabolic, and malignant diseases, but whether it participates in the pathogenesis of AAA remains elusive. ADAM10 plays a vital role in the formation of aneurysm, but whether miRs modulate its activity during AAA formation is totally unknown. In this study, we detected the significantly increased protein expression of ADAM10 in angiotensin II induced murine AAA specimens, while the mRNA expression of ADAM10 was similar between AAA and control, suggesting the posttranscriptional regulation. The ADAM10 specific inhibitor GI254023X dramatically reduced the macrophage infiltration of murine abdominal aorta. Bioinformatic predictions suggest that ADAM10 is the target of miR-103a/107 but the binding site is exclusive. At the cellular level, miR-103a-1 suppressed the protein expression of ADAM10, while antisense miR-103a-1 increased its expression. Particularly, with the progression of murine AAA, the mRNA expression of miR-103a/107 substantially decreased and the protein expression of ADAM10 greatly increased. Together, our data afford the new insight that miR-103a inhibited AAA growth via targeting ADAM10, which might be a promising therapeutic strategy to alleviate AAA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The knowledge on continental chemical weathering has a role in understanding carbon cycle and climate change. However, regional-scale spatiotemporal analysis of chemical weathering in large drainage basins is relatively seldom performed. In this study, based on 718 A- and C-horizon soil samples, we examined the spatiotemporal variations of chemical weathering intensity (i.e., the Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA)) in the Yangtze River Valley (YRV) by using trend surface analysis (TSA) and spatial correlation analysis (SCA). We found that: (1) the average CIA values of 68.4 and 68.5 for the A- and C-horizon soils reflect an overall intermediate chemical weathering in the YRV; (2) the weathering intensities follow a latitudinal distribution pattern that they increased from 50 to 70 in the north/northwest to 70–90 in the south/southeast of the YRV; (3) the general trend of chemical weathering is preferential leaching of Ca and Na over K; (4) TSA and SCA suggest a relatively dominant control of precipitation on the weathering intensity than temperature; (5) regions with frequent, long-duration and intense heavy precipitation (≥5 days/y and daily rainfall ≥50 mm) and heatwave (≥2 times/y, ≥15 days per time, and ≥ 40 °C) are featured with anomalous silicate weathering whose intensity was diminished from C- to A-horizon; and (6) the absolute differences of the mean CIA values between C- and A-horizon whether in the YRV or sub-regions were <1, indicating a stable silicate weathering. We conclude that significant latitude effect embodies the dominant control of monsoon climate on the chemical weathering in the YRV. Local climate extremes (e.g., rainstorms) are accompanied by anomalous silicate weathering. However, decreasing weathering intensity from bottom up does not necessarily indicate alleviated climate extremes, but probably the loss of terrestrial carbon stocks. • Spatiotemporal variations of weathering intensity in the Yangtze valley were examined. • Trend surface analysis and spatial correlation analysis were performed. • Monsoon climate controls the latitudinal distribution pattern of weathering intensity. • Climate extremes create anomalous silicate weathering but decrease the intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to propose a stress–strain model for the stub column behavior of cold-formed steel non-slender elliptical hollow sections (EHS) under axial compression by considering the post-local buckling behavior and taking into account the effects of local imperfection, material nonlinearity and residual stresses. The proposed model is applicable to the sections of both high strength and normal grade steels; and is mainly defined by four key parameters, including the 0.2% proof stress, the local buckling stress and buckling strain, as well as the post-peak residual strength of a stub column. Equations are also proposed to express these key parameters in terms of the basic input cross-section parameters and virgin material properties. In order to determine these key parameters, existing test and numerical results on the structural behavior of cold-formed steel EHS stub columns were collected and analyzed, which covered a wide range of steel grades (up to 960 MPa) and section sizes. Existing design methods, which have not yet been calibrated for cold-formed high strength steel EHS, were first evaluated by comparing their predicted stub column strengths (i.e., local buckling stresses) with the collected test and numerical data. The Continuous Strength Method (CSM) was found to provide better predictions than other examined design methods. Modified CSM base curves were then developed to further improve the accuracy of the existing CSM for both the local buckling strains and design strengths of cold-formed EHS with steel grades up to 960 MPa. In addition, a theoretical framework is proposed to develop the semi-empirical equations for both the 0.2% proof stresses and local buckling stresses of stub columns by incorporating the modified CSM base curves, whereas one curve based on the conventional equivalent diameter and one curve based on equivalent diameter of the four-arc approximation. A predictive expression of the post-peak residual strengths is also presented. Predictions from the proposed stress–strain model were in a good agreement with the collected test and numerical results, which can demonstrate its accuracy and validity. • Stress–strain model for cold-formed steel non-slender EHS stub columns is proposed. • Post-local buckling, material nonlinearity, imperfection and residual stress counted. • Equations of key parameters in the stress–strain model are presented. • CSM base curves were modified for cold-formed EHS with steel grades up to 960 MPa. • Theoretical framework for semi-empirical equations of column strengths is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper-based friction material is a typical paper-based composite that is usually cured via hot-pressing. This curing method does not account for the effect of pressure on the matrix resin, resulting in uneven distribution of resin in the material and reducing the mechanical properties of friction materials. To overcome the above shortcomings, a pre-curing method was introduced before hot-pressing, and the effects of different pre-curing degrees on the surface morphology and mechanical properties of paper-based friction materials were studied. The pre-curing degree significantly affected the resin distribution and interfacial bonding strength of the paper-based friction material. When the material was cured at 160 °C for 10 min, the pre-curing degree reached 60%. At this point, most of the resin was in a gel state, which could retain abundant pore structures on the material surface without causing mechanical damage to the fiber and resin matrix during hot-pressing. Ultimately, the paper-based friction material exhibited improved static mechanical properties, decreased permanent deformation, and reasonable dynamic mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrins are an important family of adhesion molecules that are widely distributed on immune cells in the lungs. Of note, accumulating evidences have shown that integrins are double-edged swords in pulmonary infectious diseases. On one hand, integrins promote the migration of immune cells to remove the invaded pathogens in the infected lungs. However, on the other hand, integrins also act as the targets for pathogens to escape from host immune system, which is a potential factor leading to further tissue damage. Thus, the innovative therapeutic strategies based on integrins has inspired well-founded hopes to treat pulmonary infectious diseases. In this review, we illustrate the involvement of integrins in pulmonary infectious diseases, and further discuss the innovative therapeutic targets based on integrins. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical mechanisms of heat and mass transfer enhancement by ultrasound have been identified by people. Basically, the effect of ‘cavitation’ induced by ultrasound is the main reason for the enhancement of heat and mass transfer in a liquid environment, and the acoustic streaming and vibration are the main reasons for that in a gaseous environment. The adsorbent regeneration and food drying/dehydration are typical heat and mass transfer process, and the intensification of the two processes by ultrasound is of complete feasibility. This paper makes an overview on recent studies regarding applications of power ultrasound to adsorbent regeneration and food drying/dehydration. The concerned adsorbents include desiccant materials (typically like silica gel) for air dehumidification and other ones (typically active carbon and polymeric resin) for water treatment. The applications of ultrasound in the regeneration of these adsorbents have been proved to be energy saving. The concerned foods are mostly fruits and vegetables. Although the ultrasonic treatment may cause food degradation or nutrient loss, it can greatly reduce the food processing time and decrease drying temperature. From the literature, it can be seen that the ultrasonic conditions (i.e., acoustic frequency and power levels) are always focused on during the study of ultrasonic applications. The increasing number of relevant studies argues that ultrasound is a very promising technology applied to the adsorbent regeneration and food drying/dehydration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reviewed VAV systems modeling and simulations, control strategies and optimization tools, the airflow characteristics of VAV systems, some common VAV systems׳ faults, detection and diagnosis, energy usage and analysis, and the current applications of variable air volume (VAV) air-conditioning systems. VAV system modeling is very complex as it involves complex structures and parameters a result of which has led to lack of models that combine both the AHU and building with all the required parameters. The most common controllers used in VAV systems are the PID controllers. We saw that supply air temperature and the flow rate of supply air are the best parameters that can be optimized in a VAV system as they greatly minimize energy consumption. Genetic algorithms have good robustness, and can be easily parallelized. However, they suffer from shortcomings such as slow convergence rates under some conditions, and have difficulty in adjustment of algorithms since there are no rules for determining the number of individuals in populations. FLCs boost of advantages such as less or minimum overshoot, oscillation and power consumption compared to conventional PID controllers, can be used in MIMO systems, and they do not require models as they can control non-linear processes. Airflow control in VAV systems can be achieved through controlling static pressure and position of the damper. Literature survey shows that balancing and distribution of airflow in VAV air-conditioning systems can be considered to be one of the main challenging areas of research concerning VAV system control. Most methods used today for detecting and diagnosing faults are hybrid. These are superior to the conventional methods of FDD. In conclusion, VAV air-conditioning systems are the most energy efficient systems in use today. Despite of their current strengths, VAV systems energy saving potential can still be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applications of ultrasonic energy to enhance a wide variety of processes or to improve system efficiency have been explored since about 1960s. This work makes an overview of recent studies about the applications of ultrasound in the field of Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC), including air humidification/dehumidification, desiccant regeneration, air cleaning, heat enhancement and fouling reduction of heat exchanger, defrosting or frost suppression for evaporator of air-conditioner. The mechanisms for these ultrasonic applications can be illustrated by a series of ultrasonically induced effects such as acoustic cavitation, streaming and vibration. The literature reviews manifest that the parametric studies on the ultrasound-assisted enhancement are the main interest of people to help in the design, optimization, and scale-up of the ultrasound-assisted process. As a new technology applied to the HVAC, the possible major challenges are the design and development of efficient power ultrasonic systems capable of large scale successful operation specifically adapted to each individual process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface vapor pressure of desiccant solutions is the key parameter for modeling the liquid desiccant system. Usually, the simple mixing rule (SMR) model and the nonrandom two-liquid (NRTL) model are employed by people to calculate the surface vapor pressure of mixture desiccant solutions during simulating the performance of a liquid desiccant system. However, there is little literature caring about the calculation accuracy of the two models for surface vapor pressure of mixture desiccant solution under different circumstances. In this paper, an experimental system is built to measure the surface vapor pressure of LiCl–CaCl 2 desiccant solutions under various conditions including temperatures ranging from 25 °C to 75 °C, total mass concentrations ranging from 5% to 40% and three mass mixing ratios of LiCl to CaCl 2 (e.g., 1:1, 1:2, 2:1). The two models for surface vapor pressure of mixture desiccant solution (i.e., the SMR and the NRTL) are compared with the test data. It is found that the SMR model has much better accuracy than the NRTL model in forecasting the surface vapor pressure of LiCl–CaCl 2 mixture desiccant solution when the solution mass concentration is lower than 10%, and it is the opposite for the case when the solution mass concentration is higher than 30%. Afterwards, the revised equations for the SMR and the NRTL model are proposed according to the test data within the conditions concerned in this study. The calculation accuracy of the two vapor pressure models is proved to be greatly improved after the revisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A transient response model for vapor compression refrigeration system has been developed in the paper. The system model contains four sub-models representing condenser, evaporator, compressor and electronic expansion valve (EEV). The condenser and the evaporator are developed based on the moving-boundary formulation. Through linearization, these dynamic models are transformed into state-space representation which is expressed in the form of matrix. The compressor and EEV adopt steady models because their thermal inertia is much smaller compared with the heat exchangers (i.e., condenser and the evaporator). The system model has been validated by experiment in terms of step change of EEV opening degree and heat load as well as ramp increase of inlet temperature of coolant oil of condenser. The results show that the model simulations have a good agreement with the experimental data. The simulation errors compared with the experimental data are mostly less than 10%. Since the model proposed in this study is expressed in the form of state-space matrix, they are featured by strong portability and high computation efficiency. It allows us to investigate the thermal dynamic characteristics of a refrigeration system under any complicated conditions and develop excellent control schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial variation in connectivity is an integral aspect of the brain's architecture. In the absence of this variability, the brain may act as a single homogenous entity without regional specialization. In this study, we investigate the variability in functional links categorized on the basis of the presence of direct structural paths (primary) or indirect paths mediated by one (secondary) or more (tertiary) brain regions ascertained by diffusion tensor imaging. We quantified the variability in functional connectivity using an unbiased estimate of unpredictability (functional connectivity entropy) in a neuropsychiatric disorder where structure-function relationship is considered to be abnormal; 34 patients with schizophrenia and 32 healthy controls underwent DTI and resting state functional MRI scans. Less than one-third (27.4% in patients, 27.85% in controls) of functional links between brain regions were regarded as direct primary links on the basis of DTI tractography, while the rest were secondary or tertiary. The most significant changes in the distribution of functional connectivity in schizophrenia occur in indirect tertiary paths with no direct axonal linkage in both early ( P = 0.0002, d = 1.46) and late ( P = 1 × 10−17, d = 4.66) stages of schizophrenia, and are not altered by the severity of symptoms, suggesting that this is an invariant feature of this illness. Unlike those with early stage illness, patients with chronic illness show some additional reduction in the distribution of connectivity among functional links that have direct structural paths ( P = 0.08, d = 0.44). Our findings address a critical gap in the literature linking structure and function in schizophrenia, and demonstrate for the first time that the abnormal state of functional connectivity preferentially affects structurally unconstrained links in schizophrenia. It also raises the question of a continuum of dysconnectivity ranging from less direct (structurally unconstrained) to more direct (structurally constrained) brain pathways underlying the progressive clinical staging and persistence of schizophrenia. Hum Brain Mapp 36:4529-4538, 2015. © 2015 The Authors. Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enhancement of silica gel regeneration by power ultrasound has been validated by a series of experiments in our previous studies, but there still lacks theoretical basis for illustrating its mechanism. In this paper, the mechanism of ultrasound-enhanced regeneration has been explored. Firstly, the benefit of ultrasonic mechanical effect to the enhancement of regeneration has been illustrated by the field synergy principle. The average synergy degree ( κ ¯ , only considering intersection angle between the velocity and the temperature gradient) and the average overall synergy degree ( κ ¯ overall , considering local values of velocity and temperature gradient based on κ ¯ ) in terms of the near wall region are suggested for analysis, and they are obtained based on the k –omega model which is suitable for the near wall free-shear flow velocity predicting. Results manifest that the ultrasonic mechanical effect can significantly enlarge the synergy degrees between the temperature and the velocity field around the particle, and this can be used to explain the enhancement of convective heat and mass transfer on the gas side due to the mechanical effect of ultrasound. Afterwards, a moisture diffusion model is developed to investigate spatial distributions of moisture ratio and temperature in a silica gel particle as well as its surface equilibrium humidity during the regeneration with and without ultrasound. Results show that ultrasonic heating effect can lead to an increase in the average temperature and moisture diffusivity in the silica gel particle, and this confirms the contribution of ultrasonic heating effect to the enhancement of silica gel regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of digital image processing technology and the popularization of image editors have made computer-generated images more realistic so that it is more challenging to distinguish computer-generated images from natural images with the naked eye. Simultaneously, the malicious potential of highly realistic computer-generated images has made the detection of the authenticity of digital images a significant research area. In this work, we propose a computer-generated image detection algorithm through the application of transfer learning and Convolutional Block Attention Module. More specifically, our method uses the feature transfer module and feature fusion module to consider both the shallow content features and the deep semantic features of the image, thereby improving the accuracy of identifying computer-generated images. We validate our method through extensive experiments on various datasets, and the experimental results show that our model outperformed state-of-the-art methods and achieved an accuracy of 0.963. We also show that the proposed model has strong robustness and high generalization ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Understanding host-pathogen interaction mechanisms helps to elucidate the entire infection process and focus on important events, and it is a promising approach for improvement of disease control and selection of treatment strategy. Time-course host-pathogen transcriptome analyses and network inference have been applied to unravel the direct or indirect relationships of gene expression alterations. However, time series analyses can suffer from absent time points due to technical problems such as RNA degradation, which limits the application of algorithms that require strict sequential sampling. Here, we introduce an efficient method using independence test to infer an independent network that is exclusively concerned with the frequency of gene expression changes. Results: Highly resistant NL895 poplar leaves and weakly resistant NL214 leaves were infected with highly active and weakly active Marssonina brunnea, respectively, and were harvested at different time points. The independent network inference illustrated the top 1,000 vital fungus-poplar relationships, which contained 768 fungal genes and 54 poplar genes. These genes could be classified into three categories: a fungal gene surrounded by many poplar genes; a poplar gene connected to many fungal genes; and other genes (possessing low degrees of connectivity). Notably, the fungal gene M6_08342 (a metalloprotease) was connected to 10 poplar genes, particularly including two disease-resistance genes. These core genes, which are surrounded by other genes, may be of particular importance in complicated infection processes and worthy of further investigation. Conclusions: We provide a clear framework of the interaction network and identify a number of candidate key effectors in this process, which might assist in functional tests, resistant clone selection, and disease control in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]