Search

A novel polarization‐sensitive artificial optoelectronic synapse based on β‐Ga2O3 single‐crystal is proposed in this work, featuring reconfigurable anisotropic vision. A series of polarization‐sensitive synaptic activities and polarization‐sensitive image recognition functions are successfully simulated using this device. The intriguing performance of this device, stems from the crystal anisotropy in β‐Ga2O3, which is confirmed through polarization Raman measurements and first‐principles theoretical calculations. Furthermore, a comprehensive analysis of the persistent photoelectric properties of the device unveils that the adaptability of the optoelectronic synapse device stems from the ionization and dissociation of oxygen vacancies. Ultimately, the device is utilized in the fields of image recognition and information encryption. A four‐layer artificial neural network with two hidden layers is constructed for recognizing handwritten digits. After training, the recognition accuracy reaches over 91.5% for both unpolarized and polarized light. Information encryption is achieved by controlling polarization states. The device enables data generation and encryption to be conducted on the same platform, mitigating exposure risks during transmission and significantly enhancing data security and confidentiality. This work presents new opportunities for future applications of polarization‐based perception systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPhytochemical studies on cigar tobacco leaves led to the isolation of 18 ionone-type compounds, including previously undescribed cigatobanes E (1) and F (2). Additionally, compounds vomifoliol acetate (3), dehydrovomifoliol (4), 8,9-dihydromegastigmane-4,6-diene-3-one (5), 7α,8α-epoxyblumenol B (6), 3-oxoactinidol (12), and loliolide acetate (15), 4β-hydroxy-dihydroactinidiolide (17), were found in tobacco leaves for the first time. The structural elucidation of all compounds was accomplished through rigorous spectral analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Methods Results Conclusions The objective of this study was to gain insight into the barriers hindering the use of pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among men who have sex with men (MSM) in five cities in China.MSM were recruited via community‐based organizations in an online “snowball” manner. Participants completed the questionnaire anonymously and shared it with key MSM peers (seeds) in five cities in China. Based on the results of univariate analysis, we used a structural equation model to analyse the role of PrEP knowledge awareness, PrEP counselling, and other behavioural variables on PrEP use.The study collected a total of 4223 valid questionnaires, and 18.2% of participants reported PrEP use. The results of the standardized total effects showed that the following paths were statistically significant (p < 0.05): from the age of first sex with men to PrEP knowledge awareness (β = −0.113) and PrEP use (β = 0.042); from high‐risk sexual behaviour scores to PrEP counselling (β = 0.039) and PrEP use (β = 0.103); from the number of HIV tests in the last year to PrEP knowledge awareness (β = 0.034), PrEP counselling (β = 0.170), and PrEP use (β = 0.197); from the level of self‐perceived risk of HIV infection to PrEP counselling (β = −0.115); from PrEP knowledge awareness to PrEP use (β = −0.049); and from PrEP counselling to PrEP use (β = 0.420).The proportion of PrEP use among MSM was relatively low. Age at first sex with men, number of HIV tests, high‐risk sexual behaviour, and PrEP counselling had a positive effect on PrEP use, whereas PrEP knowledge awareness had an inverse effect on PrEP use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytochemical investigation on cigar tobacco leaves led to four unknown sesquiterpenoids as well as nine reported ones. Among of them, 3-acetoxy-β-damascone was first found in tobacco leaves. All the structures were elucidated by intensive spectroscopic analyses and X-ray diffraction. The relationship between the newly isolates and known ones was tried to describe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Donor–acceptor (D–A) conjugated polymer (CP) featuring high charge mobility and widely tunable energy bands have shown promising prospects in photocatalysis. In this work, a library of ternary D‐A CPs (22 polymers) based on benzothiadiazole, bithiophene, and fluorene derivatives (i.e., fluorene [Fl], 9,9‐dihexylfluorene [HF], and 9,9′‐spirobifluorene [SF]) with and without alkyl side chains, and with 3D geometry are designed and synthesized via atom‐economical direct C–H arylation polymerization to explore the synergetic effects of stereochemistry, D/A ratio, and alkyl chains on the properties and photocatalytic performances, which reveal that 1) the cross‐shaped 3D spirobifluorene (SF) building block shows the highest hydrogen evolution rates (HER) owing to the sufficient photocatalytic active sites exposed, 2) the alkyl‐free linear polymer (FlBtBT0.05) exhibit the highest photocatalytic pollutant degradation performance owing to its superior charge separation, and 3) the alkyl side chains are redundances that will exert detrimental effects on the aqueous photocatalysis owing to their insulating and hydrophobic property. The structure‐property‐performance correlation results obtained will provide a desirable guideline for the rational design of CP‐based photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Hemp protein isolates (HPIs), which provide a well‐balanced profile of essential amino acids comparable to other high‐quality proteins, have recently garnered significant attention. However, the underutilized functional attributes of HPIs have constrained their potential commercial applications within the food and agriculture field. This study advocates the utilization of dynamic‐high‐pressure‐microfluidization (DHPM) for the production of stable high‐internal‐phase emulsions (HIPEs), offering an efficient approach to fully exploit the potential of HPI resources. RESULTS: The findings underscore the effectiveness of DHPM in producing HPI as a stabilizing agent for HIPEs with augmented antioxidant activity. Microfluidized HPI exhibited consistent adsorption and anchoring at the oil–water interface, resulting in the formation of a dense and compact layer. Concurrently, the compression of droplets within HIPEs gave rise to a polyhedral framework, conferring viscoelastic properties and a quasi‐solid behavior to the emulsion. Remarkably, HIPEs stabilized by microfluidized HPI demonstrated superior oxidative and storage stability, attributable to the establishment of an antioxidative barrier by microfluidized HPI particles. CONCLUSION: This study presents an appealing approach for transforming liquid oils into solid‐like fats using HPI particles, all without the need for surfactants. HIPEs stabilized by microfluidized HPI particles hold promise as emerging food ingredients for the development of emulsion‐based formulations with enhanced oxidative stability, thereby finding application in the food and agricultural industries. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to investigate the experiences of parents who have experienced bereavement in their efforts to preserve memories of their deceased child. Methods: Employing a qualitative meta-synthesis approach, this study systematically sought relevant qualitative literature by conducting searches across various electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Wiley, up until July 2023. Results: Nine studies are eligible for inclusion and included in the meta-synthesis. Three overarching categories are identified: (1) Affirming the Significance of Memory Making. (2) Best Practices in Memory Making. (3) Barriers to Effective Memory Making. Conclusion: Bereaved parents highly value the act of creating lasting memories, emphasizing its profound significance. While forming these memories, it is imperative to offer family-centered care and honor diverse preferences and needs. It is essential to offer effective support to parents, offering them a range of choices. Furthermore, a more comprehensive examination of memory-making practices is required to better understand their influence on parents' recollections of their deceased child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organisational resilience is a crucial ability to help enterprises overcome crises. However, little attention has been paid to how incumbents form organisational resilience to achieve sustainable development under the impact of disruptive innovation. This paper takes Fujifilm's anti-disruption management practice as a case sample. It adopts an inductive single-case methodology to explore the formation process of organisational resilience in incumbents. The results show that: (1) the development of the incumbent firm is reborn through the stages of recovery, rebound, and surpass. (2) at each stage of the growth of the incumbent firm, it adopts proactive strategic changes and agile resource allocation actions. Under this configuration, its organisational resilience evolves from technology-focused organisational resilience, business-focused organisational resilience, and dual-focused organisational resilience. In turn, the incumbent firm captures recovery, rebound, and surpassing capability. (3)the co-evolution between external crises, organisational resilience, and incumbent growth is the critical path to resist the impact of disruptive innovation for the incumbent. This study enriches the theoretical system of disruptive innovation and organisational resilience. It also proposes valuable managerial insights for incumbents to cope with disruptive innovation crises in future innovation markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Butterfly valves are widely used in water supply systems, sewage treatment plants, chemical processes, and the natural gas industry to control and regulate the flow of fluids. When the liquid medium flows through a butterfly valve, the local pressure decreases rapidly because of the sudden change in the flow channel area, which leads to the cavitation generated at the downstream of butterfly valve if the local pressure is lower than saturated vapor pressure. This cavitation negatively affects the performance of the valve, causing severe vibration and noise. In some cases, this may affect the sealing performance and lifetime of the valve and could even lead to accidents. This paper mainly carried out experimental studies on the cavitation phenomenon inside butterfly valves. The cavitation evolution was recorded inside the butterfly valve at different opening degrees and pressure conditions by a high-speed camera, and the pressure was monitored at upstream and downstream of valve plate. The influences of valve opening degree and total pressure on dynamic evolution and distribution of cavitation was revealed. By comparing the distribution of vortices and cavitation bubbles in the flow field, it was found that vortices led to the aggregation of cavitation bubbles and changed the distribution of these bubbles in the flow field. We also analyzed the interaction between the cavitation and the surface of the butterfly plate. The shedding of the attached cavitation was mainly caused by a reentrant jet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a photocatalytic system for defluorinative [4+2] annulation of gem‐difluoroalkenes with unactivated alkenes is realized. This protocol was compatible with a broad scope of unactivated alkenes, affording the diverse monofluorocyclohexene products in 30–95% yields. Furthermore, the value of this method was demonstrated by the gram‐scale synthesis, late‐stage functionalization and synthesis of various valuable and complex monofluorocyclohexene derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the micromechanical properties of sandstones during brittle and ductile failure, we conducted uniaxial and conventional triaxial compression tests on Zigong sandstone (porosities of 17.71% and 10.40%), facilitated by acoustic emission (AE) monitoring and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Increasing confining pressure leads to a change in the failure mode from brittle to ductile. In the brittle regime, the fracture angle decreases with the confining pressure while the peak strength increases. In contrast, the peak strength shows a less increasing trend in the ductile regime. Under low confining pressures, the AE hit rate increases rapidly towards the peak stress and reaches the peak when the macroscopic fractures form in the post-peak stage. Under high confining pressures, the AE hit rate rapidly rises beyond the critical stress (Cʹ) indicating shear-induced dilation, which stays at a high level during the post-peak stage. Thin sections of the failed specimen were prepared to quantitatively investigate the microcrack distribution using SEM. It is found that stress-induced cracks are mostly parallel to the direction of the maximum principal stress. Furthermore, the crack number density and crack density inside the shear band are higher than those outside of it, and both metrics increase with the confining pressure. The failure mode was calculated using bifurcation theory, and the theoretical predictions indicate that specimens under high confining pressure exhibited compaction shear bands. Highlights: The mechanical characteristics, failure modes, and AE characteristics of two porous sandstones under different confining pressures are studied. The direction of stress-induced cracks and crack density are statistically analyzed, revealing the effect of confining pressure on microcracks formation. The consistency between the orientation of microcracks and the macroscopic fracture angle have been revealed. Bifurcation theory is employed to predict the failure mode and the orientation of shear bands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new aromatic sesquiterpenes, (1-isopropyl-6-methoxy-3-methylnaphthalen-7-yl)methanol (1) and 1-isopropyl-6-methoxy-3,7-dimethylnaphthalene (2), as well as five known ones (3–7) were isolated from the leaves of cigar tobacco. Their structures were determined mainly using spectroscopic methods, including extensive 1D and 2D NMR techniques. Interestingly, the anti-fungi activity test revealed that compounds 1 and 2 showed potential anti-Golovinomyces cichoracearum (the main pathogen of tobacco powdery mildew disease) activity with inhibition rates of 55.4% ± 4.8, and 76.2% ± 5.1 respectively compared with the negative control. These rates are lower than that of a positive control (with an inhibition rate of 90.5% ± 5.3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the recent advances in data science, machine learning has been increasingly applied to convection and cloud parameterizations in global climate models (GCMs). This study extends the work of Han et al. (2020, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020MS002076) and uses an ensemble of 32‐layer deep convolutional residual neural networks, referred to as ResCu‐en, to emulate convection and cloud processes simulated by a superparameterized GCM, SPCAM. ResCu‐en predicts GCM grid‐scale temperature and moisture tendencies, and cloud liquid and ice water contents from moist physics processes. The surface rainfall is derived from the column‐integrated moisture tendency. The prediction uncertainty inherent in deep learning algorithms in emulating the moist physics is reduced by ensemble averaging. Results in 1‐year independent offline validation show that ResCu‐en has high prediction accuracy for all output variables, both in the current climate and in a warmer climate with +4K sea surface temperature. The analysis of different neural net configurations shows that the success to generalize in a warmer climate is attributed to convective memory and the 1‐dimensional convolution layers incorporated into ResCu‐en. We further implement a member of ResCu‐en into CAM5 with real world geography and run the neural‐network‐enabled CAM5 (NCAM) for 5 years without encountering any numerical integration instability. The simulation generally captures the global distribution of the mean precipitation, with a better simulation of precipitation intensity and diurnal cycle. However, there are large biases in temperature and moisture in high latitudes. These results highlight the importance of convective memory and demonstrate the potential for machine learning to enhance climate modeling. Plain Language Summary: The representation of storms and clouds through empirical algorithms known as parameterizations in global climate models (GCMs) is one of the main sources of biases in the simulation of rainfall and atmospheric circulation. Here an ensemble of 8 deep neural networks are used to replace the conventional parameterization of atmospheric moist physics processes. They are trained on data sampled from 1‐year present‐day climate simulation by a "superparameterized" climate model, which uses a two‐dimensional cloud‐scale model to explicitly simulate convection and clouds inside each GCM grid box. On ensemble averaging, the neural nets produce highly accurate predictions of precipitation characteristics including global distribution and intensity. Furthermore, the machine‐learned emulator trained on data in the current climate also represents convection and precipitation extremely well in a warmer climate. A member of the ensemble of the neural nets is implemented into a GCM. The model is then integrated for 5 years, producing reasonable results. Key Points: An ensemble of deep convolutional residual neural networks is used to reduce the uncertainty in moist physics emulationsThe ensemble of the neural networks trained on data from a present‐day climate simulation generalizes well to a +4K warm climate offlineA multi‐year stable online integration is achieved in a real‐geography GCM with reasonable results [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent observational studies suggest that the large‐scale dynamical forcing (vertical motion) plays important roles in deep convection development. In this study we propose a convective mass flux adjustment (MAdj) approach to represent the dynamical effects of large‐scale vertical motion on convection in the Department of Energy's Energy Exascale Earth System Model version 2 (E3SMv2). With MAdj, convection is enhanced (suppressed) when there is large‐scale ascending (descending) motion at the planetary boundary layer top. The coupling of convection with large‐scale circulation significantly improves the simulation of climate variability in E3SMv2 across multiple scales from the diurnal cycle, convectively coupled equatorial waves, to the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO). The standard E3SMv2 tends to simulate overly weak diurnal amplitude of precipitation and overly weak variance of convectively coupled equatorial Kelvin and westward inertio‐gravity (WIG) waves. It also fails to simulate the essential characteristics of the MJO: continuous eastward propagation. With MAdj, the amplitude of diurnal cycle of precipitation is systematically increased and its probability density distribution is much closer to observations. The MAdj can also simulate more realistic eastward propagation of the MJO and much stronger convectively coupled Kelvin and WIG waves. Moreover, the MAdj approach slightly improves the climatology simulations in precipitation, cloud, radiation, circulation, temperature, and moisture fields, with overall root‐mean‐square error (RMSE) of major climatological fields reduced by about 2%. The MAdj approach suppresses excessive grid‐scale precipitation, reducing precipitation wet biases over South China Sea, Philippine Sea, Himalayas, and South Pacific Convergence Zone in western Pacific in summer. Plain Language Summary: The representation of convection in global climate models is one of the most challenging scientific issues in climate modeling. Many deficiencies in precipitation and climate variability simulations and uncertainties in climate change projections can be traced to the poor representation of convection. Recent observational studies suggest that large‐scale vertical motion plays important roles in deep convection development. In this study we propose a convective mass flux adjustment (MAdj) approach to represent the effects of large‐scale vertical motion on convection in the Department of Energy's Energy Exascale Earth System Model version 2 (E3SMv2). With MAdj, convection is enhanced (suppressed) when there is large‐scale ascending (descending) motion at the planetary boundary layer top. The coupling of convection with large‐scale circulation significantly improves the climate variability simulation of E3SMv2 across multiple scales from the diurnal cycle, convectively coupled equatorial waves, to the Madden‐Julian Oscillation. Improving climate variability simulation through modifying convection parameterization usually causes degradations of the mean state and other climate aspects. The MAdj approach does not degrade the climatology simulations. It actually slightly improves the climatology simulations in precipitation, cloud, radiation, circulation, temperature and moisture fields. Key Points: A convective mass flux adjustment approach is proposed to represent the dynamical effects of large‐scale vertical motion on convectionThe mass flux adjustment significantly improves the climate variability simulation of E3SMv2 across multiple scalesThe mass flux adjustment slightly improves climatology simulations of precipitation, cloud, radiation, circulation, temperature, and moisture [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In January 2020, two moderate earthquakes with magnitudes of MS 5.4 and MS 6.4 occurred in the nappe structure of the boundary between the Southern Tianshan Mountains and Tarim Basin. To investigate the seismogenic structure of these two events, we systematically analyzed the earthquake sequence locations, focal mechanisms, and stress field in the source region. Using the P and S arrival-time data from January 1, 2009, to July 31, 2021, recorded by 18 seismic stations of the Xinjiang network, we obtained precise seismic event locations. Results show that the temporal and spatial distribution of the foreshock and aftershock sequences displays obvious differences in migration behaviors. The former is mainly distributed along the NNW direction, whereas the latter is distributed along the Ozgertau fault in the EW direction and characterized by a double-layer feature. Furthermore, we derived the focal mechanism solutions of the MS ≥ 4.0 events, including the MS 5.4 foreshock and the MS 6.4 main shock. The inversion results illustrate that the MS 5.4 foreshock is a strike-slip event, whereas the main shock and seven aftershocks are thrust events. Based on our results and the regional geological background, we conclude that the seismogenic structures of the MS 5.4 foreshock and MS 6.4 main shock are related to different faults. The MS 5.4 event is located in a blind "quasi-transformation" fault with the NNW direction, and the MS 6.4 earthquake occurs on a blind thrust nappe fault in the EW direction on the Kepingtage (Kalpintag) nappe. Our results indicate that the Tienshan orogenic belt has a complex tectonic environment. The difference in the strikes and dips of the MS 5.4 foreshock and MS 6.4 main shock reflects the stress compression in the near-NS direction in the source region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crystalline admixture (CA) can be incorporated into concrete to achieve self-healing of concrete cracks. In this study, both CA and superabsorbent polymer (SAP) were used as self-healing agents to investigate the effects of CA on the self-healing performance and mechanical properties of mortar with internally added SAP at different self-healing ages. The healing effect of cracks in mortar is assessed by crack observation and impermeability. The structure and composition of the filler in the cracks were analyzed by microscopic experiment. The experimental results indicate that CA enhances the healing of cracks in mortar specimens. The chemical reactions of CA primarily contribute to significantly improving the early-age crack-healing ability of the specimens, and the water absorption and expansion ability as well as the internal curing effect of SAP also facilitate the crack-healing process. Increasing the CA content leads to an increase in the Ca/Si ratio of C-S-H, causing a transition from a layered structure to a more compact needle-like structure. When 4% CA was added to the mortar, it resulted in an adequate formation of needle-like C-S-H structures, which eventually penetrate and fill the pits formed by SAP, compensating for the strength loss caused by SAP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polypropylene (PP) has gained attention in the industry as an environmentally friendly material. However, its electrical properties are compromised due to space charge accumulation during operation, limiting its application in high-voltage DC cable insulation. This study investigates the effect and mechanism of SiO2 with a DDS surface hydrophobic treatment on space charge suppression and the electrical properties of PP composites. The PP matrix was doped with SiO2 nanostructures, both with a DDS surface hydrophobic treatment and untreated as a control group. The functional group structure and dispersion of nanostructured SiO2 in the matrix were characterized. The findings reveal that the incorporation of SiO2 nanostructures effectively mitigates charge accumulation in PP composites. However, a high concentration of unsurfaced nanostructures tends to agglomerate, resulting in inadequate space charge suppression and a diminished DC breakdown field strength. Nonetheless, surface treatment improves the dispersion of SiO2 within the matrix. Notably, the composite containing 1.0 wt% of surface hydrophobic SiO2 exhibits the least space charge accumulation. Compared to the base material PP, the average charge density is reduced by 83.9% after the 1800 s short-circuit discharges. Moreover, its DC breakdown field strength reaches 3.45 × 108 V/m, surpassing pure PP by 19.4% and untreated SiO2/PP composites of the same proportion by 24.0%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total synthesis approach of CS-E oligosaccharides was established and a series of derivatives were synthesized. These oligosaccharides were evaluated for a glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-binding protein interaction against cytokines, midkine, and pleiotrophin, by surface-plasmon resonance (SPR) assay. The binding epitopes of oligosaccharides to midkine were mapped using a saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR technique. The groups on the reducing end contributed to binding affinity, and should not be ignored in biological assays. These findings contribute to the structure and activity relationship research and a foundation of understanding that will underpin potential future optimization of this class of oligosaccharides as pharmaceutical agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of Neural-network Quantum States (NQS) has significantly advanced wave function ansatz research, sparking a resurgence in orbital space variational Monte Carlo (VMC) exploration. This work introduces three algorithmic enhancements to reduce computational demands of VMC optimization using NQS: an adaptive learning rate algorithm, constrained optimization, and block optimization. We evaluate the refined algorithm on complex multireference bond stretches of H2O and N2 within the cc-pVDZ basis set and calculate the ground-state energy of the strongly correlated chromium dimer (Cr2) in the Ahlrichs SV basis set. Our results achieve superior accuracy compared to coupled cluster theory at a relatively modest CPU cost. This work demonstrates how to enhance optimization efficiency and robustness using these strategies, opening a new path to optimize large-scale restricted Boltzmann machine-based NQS more effectively and marking a substantial advancement in NQS's practical quantum chemistry applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a proven biomedical strategy to prevent HIV transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM). Despite oral PrEP is safe and effective in MSM, the use of PrEP has been discouraging, especially in high-risk MSM. And there are no relevant studies showing the use of PrEP in high-risk MSM. The purpose of this study was to get the rate of PrEP use and the factors influencing PrEP use among high-risk MSM. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted through an electronic questionnaire on the "i guardian Platform", and "snowballing" method was used to recruit MSM in six cities in China, including Beijing, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Changsha, Jinan and Nanjing in China, from January to April 2021. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the factors associated with the use of PrEP among high-risk MSM who had heard about PrEP. Results: Among the 1865 high-risk MSM who had heard of PrEP, the rates of those who were willing to use PrEP, had knowledge awareness of PrEP, and had used PrEP were 96.7%, 24.7%, and 22.4%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of PrEP use in high-risk MSM showed that more PrEP was used by those who were 26 years or older (OR = 1.86, 95%CI 1.17 ~ 2.99), had master degree or above (OR = 2.37, 95% CI 1.21 ~ 4.72), had unstable work (OR = 1.86, 95% CI 1.16 ~ 2.96), had tested five or more HIV times in the past year (OR = 3.09, 95% CI 1.65 ~ 6.04), had consulted PrEP (OR = 22.05, 95% CI 14.87 ~ 33.91) and had PrEP knowledge awareness (OR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.41 ~ 2.55) (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The rate of PrEP use in high-risk MSM was relatively low. PrEP was used more by high-risk MSM with unstable jobs, higher education, frequent HIV testing, and PrEP counseling. Public education on PrEP for MSM should continue to be enhanced to help them use PrEP in a timely and accurate manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the heritability and genetic correlations of muscle proximate composition (including crude lipid, protein, moisture, and ash) in the Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis. The results showed that the heritability of proximate composition traits, was 0.12 ± 0.07 for moisture, 0.04 ± 0.04 for crude fat, 0.07 ± 0.05 for crude protein and 0.03 ± 0.04 for ash, respectively. A positive genetic correlation (0.88) was observed between crude lipid and protein, whereas a negative correlation existed between crude lipid and moisture (−0.74), indicating that crude lipid content could be improved by moisture selection indirectly. The muscle-moisture trait has the highest heritability, and is the easiest parameter to measure among the four proximate composition traits. Our results provide fundamental information for the development of improved genetic-programmes utilizing quality traits of E. sinensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The honeybee stinger, as an important organ for self-defense and reproduction, have evolved specific macroscopic morphologies and microscopic structures. Here, we investigated the surface and cross-sectional structures and material composition of the cuticle in the stingers of worker honeybees (Apis mellifera). Except the stinger bulb, the cuticle sclerotization of the stinger is found to be uniformly distributed along its longitudinal axis, i.e., uniform modulus distribution. Based on this, we developed a two-dimensional (2D) model to explore the influence of various modulus distributions of the stinger on its penetration behavior in vertical and oblique penetrations using the finite element method (FEM). It is found that compared with the stinger models with the modulus-gradient distribution (5 GPa at the stinger tip to 15 GPa at its base) and negative modulus-gradient distribution (15 GPa at the tip to 5 GPa at base), the model with uniform modulus distribution (10 GPa) can be more easily inserted into the skin with less maximal penetration force in no matter vertical or oblique penetrations. Therefore, the uniform modulus distribution along the axis as revealed by our confocal laser scanning microscopy is beneficial for the honeybee stinger to achieve its self-defense with fast penetration. This study significantly enriches the understanding of the stinger functionality and inspires us with new avenues for bioinspired microneedles in modern engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents the spatio-temporal variations of microcracking and damage accumulation during the progressive failure in a low-porosity sandstone under uniaxial compression, using active ultrasonic surveys and passive acoustic emission monitoring. The combination of both techniques allows us to perform a joint inversion of source locations and P-wave velocity tomography of the specimen during the failure process. Based on the P-wave first arrivals from both the active surveys and numerous passive AE events, three-dimensional (3D) P-wave velocity structure and its temporal variations can be obtained in high resolution in spite of the limited active ray coverage. The reconstructed P-wave velocity structure indicates that the specimen becomes more heterogeneous due to damage accumulation. Within such a highly anisotropic medium, the ray paths are found to be curved, rather than straight as assumed in a homogeneous material. The curved ray paths are used to calculate the travel times of each AE event so as to obtain the accurate source location. We calculate the energy of the detected AE event and estimate the energy distribution. It shows that about 50% of the events account only for about 2.5% of the total energy while 1% of the events release 47.3% of the total energy. The events with large energy, albeit few, allow to trace the fractures. We also investigate the variations of the P-wave velocities along different characteristic ray paths during the failure process. Based on the joint inversion, the variations of the 3D P-wave velocity structure with deformation have been further investigated. It is found that the emergence of the low-velocity zone (LVZ) does not indicate the onset of fractures and that the LVZ is highly unpredictable in a spatio-temporal sense. The spatial correlation between the LVZ and AE events suggests that AE events usually appear on the edge of the LVZs, where there are high-velocity contrasts. This work suggests that the quantification of P-wave velocity changes has the potential for extracting timely precursory information of pillar bursts. Highlights: The P-wave ray paths are not straight within the rock and become more curved with deformation, revealing the intrinsic and extrinsic heterogeneities. Spatial correlation between the low-velocity zones and AE locations is investigated, suggesting that microcracking results from high-velocity contrasts. P-wave velocity tomography shows the potential to forewarn pillar bursts via velocity changes before catastrophic failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the key control equipment for the transmission of the fluid medium, butterfly valves are widely used in transmission systems of media in the energy, chemical industry, metallurgy, aerospace engineering, and other fields, playing an important role in the stability and reliability of system operation. When the flow cross section suddenly changes, the pressure rapidly decreases the downstream, leading to cavitation in butterfly valves. Cavitation causes serious erosion and damage in the valve core and pipeline surface, resulting in leakage and noise problems in butterfly valves, which seriously affects the regulation performance and lifetime of butterfly valves. In this study, numerical analyses are conducted to investigate cavitation evolution at the transient regulation of a butterfly plate through a butterfly valve model. Moreover, the effects of the valve opening degree and rotating speed on the cavitation volume and distribution, rate of cavitation volume change, growth–collapse rate of cavitation, and correlation between cavitation and vortex in the opening and closing processes of butterfly valves are investigated. Due to the influence of transient regulation and flow hysteresis, the characteristic parameters and evolution of cavitation exhibit different behaviors in the opening and closing processes of butterfly valves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the study of ductility changes, ratcheting, and low-cycle fatigue behavior of materials after hydrogen charging. Hot-rolled ribbed bar 400 (HRB400) steel was electrochemically charged with H 2 SO 4 solution, and the samples subjected to different hydrogen charging times were subjected to quasi-static tensile and low-cycle fatigue tests under asymmetric cyclic loading. The tests indicated that hydrogen charging changed the initial yield stress of the material, but the ultimate strength remained almost unchanged; hydrogen charging significantly changed the cyclic hysteresis behavior of the material, which increased the elastic range of the stable hysteresis curve; hydrogen charging changed the pattern of ratcheting deformation. The pattern of ratcheting deformation in the later stage was very different from that of the sample without hydrogen charging; hydrogen charging reduced the ductility of the material and resulted in a significant decrease in fatigue life. The fracturing of the hydrogen-charged samples exhibited apparent quasi-cleavage and intergranular fracture characteristics. The non-hydrogen-charged samples had two failure modes (fatigue failure and increased ratcheting deformation resulting in necking instability), whereas the hydrogen-charged samples had only one failure mode of fatigue failure. Based on the experimental analysis, a fatigue life equation that simultaneously considers the effect of hydrogen embrittlement index, mean stress, and stress amplitude is proposed. The equation was used to predict the low-cycle fatigue life of hydrogen-charged specimens under asymmetric cyclic loading, and the error between the results and the measured values was in the two-factor band. [Display omitted] • Hydrogen charging causes the ratchet deformation mode change of HRB400 steel. • Hydrogen charging greatly reduces the critical value of material fatigue damage. • Hydrogen charging weakens the material's energy dissipation capacity in hysteresis. • Position of fatigue sources varied with hydrogen charging. • A fatigue life formula considering the effect of hydrogen is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Predictors of malignant middle cerebral artery infarction (mMCAi) in patients after intravenous thrombolysis were well documented, but the risk factors of mMCAi after endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) were not fully explored. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the predictors of mMCAi after EVT in stroke patients. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of the DIRECT-MT trial. Patients who underwent EVT for the occlusions of MCA and/or intracranial internal carotid artery were analyzed. Primary outcome was the occurrence of mMCAi after EVT. Demographic, clinical, imaging, and treatment data were recorded, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors. All of the candidate predictors were included, and forward elimination was applied to establish the most effective predictive model. Predictive ability and calibration of the model were assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and Hosmer-Lemeshow test, respectively. Results: Of 559 enrolled patients, 74 (13.2%) patients developed mMCAi. Predictors of mMCAi included unsuccessful reperfusion, higher serum glucose, lower Alberta Stroke Project Early Computed Tomography Change Score (ASPECTS), higher clot burden score (CBS), lower collateral score, and higher pass number of thrombectomy device. AUC of predictive model integrating all independent variables was 0.836. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed appropriate calibration (p = 0.859). Conclusions: Reperfusion, serum glucose, ASPECTS, CBS, collateral, and pass number of thrombectomy device were associated with the occurrence of mMCAi in stroke patients after EVT, while alteplase treatment was not. Our findings might facilitate the early identification and management of stroke patients at a high risk of mMCAi. Key Points: • A total of 13.2% of stroke patients with large vessel occlusion of anterior circulation developed mMCAi after EVT. • The occurrence of mMCAi had a definite negative impact on the outcome for stroke patients. • Reperfusion, serum glucose, ASPECTS, CBS, collateral score, and the pass number of thrombectomy device were associated with the occurrence of mMCAi after EVT in stroke patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Z-scheme anatase/rutile TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 hybrids (denoted as LTARCN-x, x represents calcination temperature) were designed and synthesized by growing TiO 2 nanorods on the surface of g-C 3 N 4 utilizing impregnation-calcination method. Furthermore, through the etched effect of hydrochloric acid and calcination treatment, the as-prepared LTARCN-x possessed abundant pore structure and larger surface area, and the surface area of LTARCN-425 was 8.5 times than that of bulk g-C 3 N 4. Meanwhile, the g-C 3 N 4 would play a role of carrier to prevent from the aggregation of TiO 2 nanorods. In addition, under visible light irradiation, the Z-scheme heterostructure would be constructed between the rutile TiO 2 nanorod and g-C 3 N 4 nanosheet, respectively. The optimized photocatalyst LTARCN-425 exhibited a preferable activity, the photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of LTARCN-425 was about 1031 μmol g−1 h−1, and it was about 6.3 and 13.6 times than that of g-C 3 N 4 and TiO 2 , respectively. Moreover, the photocatalytic mechanism of the hydrogen production was studied intensively via designing fluorescent probe, Pt and PbO 2 deposition experiment, and the characterizations of EPR, TEM, HRTEM and XPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of nozzle structures and working pressure on the dynamic characteristics of supersonic turbulent free jets have been investigated numerically. Four types of nozzles (namely Laval, pipe, contraction I, and contraction II, respectively) and four pressure conditions (namely K = 0.8, 1, 1.5, and 2, respectively) were considered. A Standard k-ε model was utilized for the calculation of the supersonic turbulent free jets. Validation of the model was performed on the Laval jet by comparing it with the experiment and large-eddy simulation (LES). A perfect agreement was achieved in terms of the centerline and radial axial velocity profiles. The jets issuing from the Laval and the pipe had a longer potential core and a larger centerline axial velocity with the same outlet momentum. The length of the potential core was proportional to the working pressure, but variations of the centerline axial velocity decay rate were inverse for all nozzles. The effects of nozzle structures and work pressure on the spreading rates of the jets were insignificant. No obvious change trend could be observed on the kinematic and geometric virtual origins. The study can provide references for the nozzle and working pressure selection in practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the free-tropospheric quasi-equilibrium at different global climate model (GCM) resolutions using the simulation of tropical convection by a cloud-resolving model during the Tropical Western Pacific International Cloud Experiment. The simulated dynamic and thermodynamic fields within the model domain are averaged over subdomains of different sizes equivalent to different GCM resolutions. These coarse-grained fields are then used to compute CAPE and its change with time, and their relationships with simulated convection. Results show that CAPE change with time is controlled predominantly by variations of thermodynamic properties in the planetary boundary layer for all subdomain sizes ranging from 64 to 4 km. Lag correlation analysis shows that CAPE generation by the free-tropospheric dynamical advection (dCAPEls) leads convective precipitation but is in phase with convective mass flux at 600 mb and 500 mb vertical velocity for all subdomain sizes. However, the correlation coefficients and regression slopes decrease as the subdomain size decreases for subdomain sizes smaller than 16 km. This is probably due to increased randomness of convection and more scale-dependence of the relationships when the subdomain size reaches the grey zone. By examining the sensitivity of the relationships of convection with dCAPEls to temporal scales in different subdomain size, it shows that the quasi-equilibrium between dCAPEls and convection holds well for timescales of 30 min or longer at all subdomain sizes. These results suggest that the free tropospheric quasi-equilibrium assumption may still be useable even for GCM resolutions in the grey zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three proton‐conductors, [Cu(5‐H2L)(IN)(H2O)]2H2[SiW12O40] ⋅ 2CH3CN ⋅ 2.5H2O (1), [Cu(4‐HL)(HIN)(H2O)]2H2[SiW12O40] ⋅ 7H2O (2) and [Cu(4‐HL)(HIN)(CH3CN)]2[HIN]2H4[PMo12O40]2 ⋅ 2CH3CN ⋅ 12H2O (3) (where 5‐H2L/4‐H2L is 5,5'/4,4'‐bis(hydroxymethyl)‐2,2'‐bipyridine and HIN is isonicotinic acid), were synthesized at room temperature. Interestingly, three dinuclear‐Cu(II)‐mixed‐organic‐ligand clusters, [Cu(5‐H2L)(IN)(H2O)]22+ cluster for 1, [Cu(4‐HL)(HIN)(H2O)]22+ for 2 and [Cu(4‐HL)(HIN)(CH3CN)]22+ for 3, are in situ synthesized under the coexistence of Keggin‐type polyoxometalates. More interestingly, in 1–3, the global Keggin‐type anions are well‐arranged in the hydrogen‐bonding networks of double‐Cu(II)‐mixed‐organic‐ligand clusters to give different spatial arrangement patterns. The [SiW12O40]4− anions in 1 display two dimensional layer pattern. The [SiW12O40]4− anions in 2 act as single bidentate O,O bridge ligands. The [PMo12O40]3− anions in 3 form the pair pattern. The AC impedance measurement results reveal 3 gives a high conductivity value over 10−3∼10−2 S ⋅ cm−1 in a wide temperature range from 25 to 100 °C under a wide relative humidity range from 35 to 98 %, while 1 and 2 give a middle conductivity value over 10−5∼10−4 S ⋅ cm−1 under the same conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A co-flow water mist system is considered a clean and efficient emergency handling measure for preventing and controlling the leakage of hazardous gas. To reveal the coupling characteristics of a co-flow water mist system and normal temperature counter air jets, a series of 3D numerical simulations were conducted to visualize the gas-phase flow field as well as the instantaneous trajectories, concentration distribution, and penetration of droplets. The results show that the two-phase flow field can be divided into the co-flow jet or counter jet dominant flow for different initial momentum ratios of the counter jets and the co-flow jet Φ′. Φ′ ≤ 1 is necessary to effectively control the leakage flow. A natural exponential function could be used to fit the dimensionless interaction boundary height zb* and the characteristic axial momentum ratio Φ for the scenarios of a co-flow water mist system interacting with counter jets. Moreover, a general design method for the co-flow water mist system which could be utilized to prevent and control the leakage of hazardous gas was proposed. The method was tested by a specific case, which shows that it can be used to guide engineering development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global regulator LaeA plays crucial roles in morphological development and secondary metabolite biosynthesis in filamentous fungi. However, the functions of LaeA in basidiomycetes are less reported. The basidiomycete Pleurotus ostreatus is a well-known fungus used both in medicine and as food that produces polysaccharides and cellulolytic enzymes. In this study, we characterized three LaeA homologs (PoLaeA1, PoLaeA2, and PoLaeA3) in P. ostreatus. PoLaeA1 showed different expression patterns than PoLaeA2 and PoLaeA3 during different developmental stages. Silencing PoLaeA1 decreased the intracellular polysaccharide (IPS) content by approximately 28–30% and reduced intracellular ROS levels compared with those of the WT strain. However, silencing PoLaeA2 and PoLaeA3 decreased cellulase activity by 31–34% and 35–40%, respectively, and reduced the cytosolic Ca2+ content, compared with those of the WT strain. Further analysis showed that PoLaeA1 regulated IPS biosynthesis through intracellular ROS levels, whereas PoLaeA2 and PoLaeA3 regulated cellulase activity through intracellular Ca2+ signaling. Our results provide new insights into the regulation of polysaccharide biosynthesis and cellulase production in filamentous fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the performance of arbitrage trading in the energy market using daily data covering the period between 1 January 2015 and 5 December 2021. The investigation was achieved by utilizing a parametric pairs-trading model, where pairs of energy-related securities, including futures, stocks and ETFs traded in the United States, are formed. The empirical results suggest that the out-of-sample performances of pair trading declined sharply in the face of COVID-19. Dividing the whole data sample into two sub-samples, we found that the strategy performed well before COVID-19 but yielded poor results in the pandemic era. The analysis presented in this paper could serve as a benchmark for arbitrage-based trading models in the energy market during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the key control equipment for the transmission of fluid medium, processing valves are widely used in the transmission systems of fluid medium in energy, chemical industry, metallurgy and other fields, which play important roles in the stability and reliability of the system operation. When the flow cross-section is operated in a sudden change, the pressure decreases rapidly at the downstream, which leads to the cavitation in the processing valves. Cavitation makes serious erosion and damage on the valve core and pipeline surface, which makes the leakage and noise problems in processing valves. This seriously affects the regulation performance and lifetime of processing valves. In this article, numerical simulations were carried out to investigate the transient cavitation in a model butterfly valve. By considering effects of local pressure on formation of cavitation, a modified model for calculating the diameter of cavitation bubbles was derived. Effects of valve opening degree were investigated on the dynamic evolution of cavitation by analyzing formation, development and collapse of cavitation. The generation, development and collapse of single cavitation bubble was obtained and discussed in details to state the interaction between vortices and cavitation. Attached and quasi-periodic cavitation were observed and analyzed at different valve opening degrees in detail as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Newly eroded sediment leads to decrease in resuspension age. • In areas where advection dominates, sediment suspension persists for a longer duration. • The vertical distribution of resuspension age is shaped by stratification. The concept of resuspension age was employed to assess the timescales of vertical sediment transport in the Changjiang Estuary (CJE) and its adjoining areas. Resuspension age refers to the duration elapsed since particles last made contact with the seabed. Energetic tidal current in the study area results in a significant amount of sediment being eroded into the water during spring tides, causing the resuspension age to consistently remain lower during spring tides compared to neap tides. Spatially, consistently low resuspension ages occur in the North Branch and turbidity maximum because suspended sediment in these areas primarily originates from local erosion. While advective sediment dominates in the HZB, leading to highest resuspension age there. During the wet season, the South Branch experiences an average resuspension age surpassing 10 days, primarily due to particles predominantly transported from the river. Sediments deposited on the seabed during the wet season become the primary source of suspended sediment after being eroded into the water column during the dry season, leading to a reduction in resuspension age. Likewise, the decrease in resuspension age in the Subei Coast during the dry season is closely associated with the appearance of sediment mass advected by the northern branch plume. When stratification occurs, the upward diffusion of sediment is impeded, constraining newly eroded sediment close to the bed. As a result, these sediments exhibit lower ages than those in the upper water column, where sediment transport is primarily dominated by horizontal advection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) is crucial in rescuing patients with respiratory dysfunction. Accurately predicting the demand for IMV is vital for clinical decision-making. However, current techniques are invasive and challenging to implement in pre-hospital and emergency rescue settings. To address this issue, a real-time prediction method utilizing only non-invasive parameters was developed to forecast IMV demand in this study. The model introduced the concept of real-time warning and leveraged the advantages of machine learning and integrated methods, achieving an AUC value of 0.935 (95% CI 0.933–0.937). The AUC value for the multi-center validation using the AmsterdamUMCdb database was 0.727, surpassing the performance of traditional risk adjustment algorithms (OSI(oxygenation saturation index): 0.608, P/F(oxygenation index): 0.558). Feature weight analysis demonstrated that BMI, Gcsverbal, and age significantly contributed to the model’s decision-making. These findings highlight the substantial potential of a machine learning real-time dynamic warning model that solely relies on non-invasive parameters to predict IMV demand. Such a model can provide technical support for predicting the need for IMV in pre-hospital and disaster scenarios.Graphical Abstract: The use of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) is crucial in rescuing patients with respiratory dysfunction. Accurately predicting the demand for IMV is vital for clinical decision-making. However, current techniques are invasive and challenging to implement in pre-hospital and emergency rescue settings. To address this issue, a real-time prediction method utilizing only non-invasive parameters was developed to forecast IMV demand in this study. The model introduced the concept of real-time warning and leveraged the advantages of machine learning and integrated methods, achieving an AUC value of 0.935 (95% CI 0.933–0.937). The AUC value for the multi-center validation using the AmsterdamUMCdb database was 0.727, surpassing the performance of traditional risk adjustment algorithms (OSI(oxygenation saturation index): 0.608, P/F(oxygenation index): 0.558). Feature weight analysis demonstrated that BMI, Gcsverbal, and age significantly contributed to the model’s decision-making. These findings highlight the substantial potential of a machine learning real-time dynamic warning model that solely relies on non-invasive parameters to predict IMV demand. Such a model can provide technical support for predicting the need for IMV in pre-hospital and disaster scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfur-containing natural products possess a variety of biological functions including antitumor, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antiviral activities. In this study, four previously undescribed sulfur-containing compounds asperteretals L and M, terreins A and B, together with 17 known compounds were obtained from a culture of marine fungus A. terreus supplemented with inorganic sulfur source Na 2 SO 4. Their planar structures and absolute configurations were elucidated by NMR, HRESIMS, and ECD experiments. The in vitro cytotoxicities of compounds 1 – 21 against HCT-116 and Caco-2 were evaluated by SRB assay. Asperteretal M (2) exhibited activity against HCT-116 with the IC 50 value at 30μM. The antiproliferative effect of asperteretal M was confirmed by colony formation assay and cell death staining. Furthermore, the preliminary study on the anti-colon cancer mechanism of asperteretal M was performed by RNA-seq analysis. Western blotting validated that asperteretal M significantly decreased the expression of cell-cycle regulatory proteins CDK1, CDK4, and PCNA in a concentration-dependent manner. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All-inorganic lead-containing perovskites have shown strong luminescence, but the use of lead has hindered their commercial development due to its stability and toxicity. In this paper, we propose thermal precipitation in ionic liquids (ILs) for synthesizing Bi3+-doped Cs 2 ZrCl 6 double perovskites (Cs 2 ZrCl 6 :Bi3+(ILs)), which have a better crystallinity compared to the Cs 2 ZrCl 6 :Bi3+ (HCl) synthesized by the traditional hydrochloric acid method. Most interestingly, the Cs 2 ZrCl 6 :Bi3+(ILs) exhibits ultra-high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of up to 78.52%, which is about three times higher than the Cs 2 ZrCl 6 :Bi3+ (HCl) prepared by the traditional method. In addition, the PLQY of this paper is the highest in the reported works for the Cs 2 ZrCl 6 :Bi3+. It has been confirmed that the high PLQY of Cs 2 ZrCl 6 :Bi3+(ILs) is due to the interaction force between N atoms and perovskites in ionic liquid cations, and the cations in ionic liquids can improve the crystallinity of Cs 2 ZrCl 6 :Bi3+(ILs) double perovskite crystallites by passivating shallow defects. The research provides an alternative and efficient method for synthesizing stable lead-free double perovskites with good optical properties. • Bi3+-doped Cs 2 ZrCl 6 double perovskite materials were synthesized in ionic liquids by simple thermal precipitation. • The PLQY of Cs 2 ZrCl 6 :Bi3+ (ILs) was 78.52%, which was about 3 times that of Cs 2 ZrCl 6 :Bi3+ prepared under the HCl system. • The passivation mechanism for the enhanced optical properties of Cs 2 ZrCl 6 :Bi3+ by ionic liquid was proposed and verified. • This work provides an innovative strategy for improving the optical properties of all-inorganic lead-free perovskites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ketamine has demonstrated rapid and sustained antidepressant effects, marking its emergence as an innovative treatment of depression. Despite the growing number of preclinical and clinical studies exploring the antidepressant effects of ketamine and its enantiomers, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis in this field has yet to be conducted. This study employs bibliometric methods and visualization tools to examine the literature and identify key topics related to the antidepressant effects of ketamine and its enantiomers. We sourced publications on the antidepressant effects of ketamine and its enantiomers from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database, covering the period from 2000 to 2023. Tools such as VOSviewer, CiteSpace and the R package “bibliometrix” were utilized for visual analysis. The study included 4,274 publications, with a notable increase in publications peaking in 2022. Co-occurrence analysis highlighted two primary research focal points: the efficacy and safety of ketamine and its enantiomers in treating depression, and the mechanisms behind their antidepressant effects. In conclusion, this analysis revealed a significant increase in research on the antidepressant effects of ketamine and its enantiomers over the past two decades, leading to the approval of esketamine nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression. The rapid antidepressant effects of ketamine have spurred further studies into its mechanisms of action and the search for new antidepressants with fewer side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is utilized to effectively seal microcracks in concrete. In this study, coconut shell charcoal was used as a carrier for adsorbed bacteria to act as a biomass self-healing agent, and the healing effect of microbial mortar was enhanced by the addition of basalt fibers. The effect of the combined action of biomass self-healing agents and fibers on the mechanical properties and healing ability of mortars has been investigated. The complete process of microbial metabolism in the cement matrix was firstly revealed by microscopic experiments. Optical microscopy was used observed the deposition paths of the fillers under multifiber conditions at different depths. The results showed that a large number of fibers changed the healing products that transformed from two-dimensional to three-dimensional due to the bridging effect between the calcium carbonate grown on the neighboring fibers, which enhanced the healing ability of the cracks. • A first work about the complete process of bacterial metabolism is found by SEM test. • Reveal the microcosmic mechanism of MICP technology. • Multiple numbers of fibers change deposition of CaCO 3 from two to three-dimensional to enhance the healing ability. • A new test device is designed to quantitatively measure the depth of healed cracks. • Mortar specimens mixed with biomass self-healing agents and basalt fibers have greater mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of particle–fluid flow, solid particles are easily deposited in pipes, which leads to collisions and abrasion, especially in pipelines with grooves. Therefore, some structural components are always designed above the groove to improve particle trajectories inside the groove in the pipeline. In the present study, the deposition of particles was analyzed in detail by means of experimental visualization, and Computational Fluid Dynamics and Discrete Element Method model (CFD-DEM) methods were used to investigate the motion and deposition of particles when both grooves and baffles are designed in the pipeline system. Finally, the effect of the baffle width on the deposition of particles in the groove was studied. The results show that the baffle width has a slight effect on the mass of particles deposited in the groove after the number of particles there stabilizes, but when the width of baffle is the same as that of the groove, the time it takes the particles to reach this stable state is shortest. [Display omitted] • Particle deposition in the pipe from particle–fluid flow was analyzed in detail. • CFD-DEM method was used to study gas–particle flow and particle deposition. • Motion characteristics of particles were analyzed. • Baffle affects the characteristics of particle motion in the pipe with grooves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Artificial intelligence-powered screening systems of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are urgently demanding since the ongoing outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 worldwide. Chest CT or X-ray is not sufficient to support the large-scale screening of COVID-19 because mildly-infected patients do not have imaging features on these images. Therefore, it is imperative to exploit supplementary medical imaging strategies. Traditional Chinese medicine has played an essential role in the fight against COVID-19. Methods. In this paper, we conduct two kinds of verification experiments based on a newly-collected multi-modality dataset, which consists of three types of modalities: tongue images, chest CT scans, and X-ray images. First, we study a binary classification experiment on tongue images to verify the discriminative ability between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19. Second, we design extensive multimodality experiments to validate whether introducing tongue image can improve the screening accuracy of COVID-19 based on chest CT or X-ray images. Results. Tongue image screening of COVID-19 showed that the accuracy (ACC), sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPEC), and Matthew correlation coefficient (MCC) of the improved AlexNet and Googlenet both reached 98.39%, 98.97%, 96.67%, and 99.11%. The fusion of chest CT and tongue images used a tandem multimodal classifier fusion strategy to achieve optimal classification, and the results and screening accuracy of COVID-19 reached 98.98%, resulting in a significant improvement of 4.75% the highest accuracy in 375 years compared with the single-modality model. The fusion of chest x-rays and tongue images also had good classification accuracy. Conclusions. Both experimental results demonstrate that tongue image not only has an excellent discriminative ability for screening COVID-19 but also can improve the screening accuracy based on chest CT or X-rays. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first work that verifies the effectiveness of tongue image on screening COVID-19. This paper provides a new perspective and a novel solution that contributes to large-scale screening toward fast stopping the pandemic of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Great results had been achieved in the research of graphene-based planar on-chip micro-supercapacitors. The performances of fabricated micro-supercapacitors had been greatly improved. However, the energy characteristics of graphene-based planar on-chip micro-supercapacitors are generally low due to few active sites of graphene. Nitrogen and oxygen co-doped graphene quantum dots have the nanometer size, more active sites, and rich edge defects, are conducive to ion adsorption and desorption, and can solve the above-mentioned disadvantages of graphene. In this article, all-solid-state planar on-chip micro-supercapacitors based on nitrogen and oxygen co-doped graphene quantum dots with both ultrahigh power and energy densities were fabricated by modified liquid–air interface self-assembly and photolithography for the first time. Planar on-chip electrodes were provided with a nanoscale thickness of 6 nm and an interdigital electrode width of 3 μm. Energy density of 11.49 mWh cm−3, power density of 41.42 W cm−3, and time constant of 3.16 μs were demonstrated. It should be emphasized that the above-mentioned energy density and power density are the highest for the planar on-chip micro-supercapacitors based on nitrogen and oxygen co-doped graphene quantum dots reported to date. The capacitance retention was 99% after 10000 cycles at 5000 V s−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problem of low-frequency noise in the environment, a two-dimensional Helmholtz-type phononic crystal with a labyrinth tube was designed in the paper. First, the low-frequency band structure was calculated by the finite element method (FEM) and transfer matrix method (TMM). Second, the bandgap formation was analyzed by using an acoustic pressure field, and the "spring-oscillator" equivalent model of the structure was established. Finally, the influences of structural parameters on the first bandgap were investigated. Results show that there are four bandgaps in the frequency range of 0–300 Hz, and the lower limit of the first bandgap can be as low as 12.15 Hz, which improves the low-frequency sound insulation ability of phononic crystals of the same size. The calculation results of the two methods (FEM and TMM) are basically consistent. Research on the influencing factors of the bandgap shows that the increase in the length of the tube will reduce the upper and lower limits of the bandgap and narrow the bandgap width. With the increase of the lattice constant, the upper limit of the bandgap decreases, while the lower limit of the bandgap remains unchanged. The design provides a new method to solve the problem of low-frequency noise reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tooth height rate of the thread directly determines the connection quality of the thread, and the diameter of the preformed bottom hole of cold extruded thread workpiece determines the size of the tooth height rate. In this paper, according to the theory of equal volume in plastic deformation of metal and combining the crest defects that occur during the extrusion test, a formula for calculating the diameter of the preformed bottom hole of the workpiece in the process of internal thread cold extrusion is deduced. Further, the formula is modified and improved by taking into account the size of the internal thread, the structural parameters of the extrusion tap, and the plastic performance parameters of the workpiece itself. Three metal materials of 40Cr, 45# steel, and Al-6061 aluminum alloy are selected for the workpiece, and the bottom holes of their specimens are preformed according to the formula. And the thread numerical simulation and experimental verification are carried out. It is found that the results of numerical simulation and experimental verification of tooth height rate of the internal thread are almost the same, with the error less than 5%. The tooth height rate of the thread can be guaranteed to be 60 ~ 96% when the thread is extruded within reasonable bottom hole diameter range. It shows that the calculation formula of preformed bottom hole diameter deduced in this paper based on the plastic deformation theory is reliable and can be popularized. It provides a theoretical reference for the determination of the bottom hole diameter in process of internal thread cold extrusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the biggest rigid constraint for high-quality economic and social development, how to improve the carrying capacity of water resources, realize the stable and coordinated development of water resources-ecological environment-economic and social integrated system, and provide water resources guarantee for regional transformation and upgrading development is a major issue in the current social development. This paper firstly selects the minimum loss of water resources allocation as the objective function for mathematical modelling, chooses the particle swarm algorithm as the objective algorithm, and proposes a particle swarm algorithm based on the standard particle swarm algorithm with improved adaptive decreasing inertia weights. It is a time-varying process for the inertia weights and acceleration factors of the standard particle swarm algorithm so that they change nonlinearly with the continuous advancement of the iterative optimization seeking process, thus improving the convergence accuracy and speed of the algorithm and reducing the risk of falling into local optimum solutions at a later stage. Finally, based on the actual installation of the current water distribution reactive power compensation device, the shunt distributor set is selected as the reactive power compensation device, sensitivity analysis is applied to the load nodes for sensitivity calculation, and the nodes requiring compensation are connected to the shunt distributor set for flexible and optimal configuration. The stronger local search capability of the inertia weight adaptive decreasing algorithm is utilized in the generation process of new particles to perform a local search operation for particles, which avoids premature convergence and improves the search performance of the algorithm. To realize the rational allocation of water resources, a multiobjective receiving area water resources optimization allocation model with maximum water supply benefit, minimum regional water shortage, and minimum pollutant emission is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Evidence suggests that the role of senescence in the development of cancer is context-dependent. An orthologue of human pre-mRNA processing factor 19 (Prp19) attenuates the senescence of human endothelial cells. Prp19 has been reported to be involved in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This work aims to investigate the effect of Prp19 on the senescence of HCC. Materials and Methods. Senescence of L02 cells and HCC cells under different stimuli was detected through cell cycle analysis, SA-β-gal staining, and senescence associated secretory phenotype analysis. The relationship between Prp19 and senescence-related proteins was evaluated using real-time RT-PCR, western blot assay, and immunohistochemistry. Subcutaneous xenograft tumors in nude mice were used to evaluate the role of Prp19 on senescence in vivo. Data analysis was carried out using GraphPad Prism 6. Results. Prp19 facilitated the senescence of L02 cells and HCC cells under different stresses. Prp19 positively modulated p21 expression in the mRNA level. Downregulation of Prp19 promoted the growth of subcutaneous xenograft tumors generated by HCC cell lines. Conclusions. Prp19 may promote senescence of HCC cells via regulating p21 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The silver‐promoted reaction of tertiary cyclobutanols with N‐methoxypyridinium salts enables the efficient synthesis of a range of C2‐substituted pyridines. The overall process likely occurs by ring‐opening (via β‐scission) of the cyclobutoxy radical to generate the corresponding γ‐keto alkyl radical that itself adds to the pyridinium salt. A wide range of tertiary cyclobutanols and N‐methoxypyridinium salts are compatible with the reaction conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

microRNAs (miRNAs) and miRNA-mediated regulatory networks are promising candidates in the prevention and treatment of cancer, but the role of specific miRNAs involved in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains to be elusive. Herein, we found that miR-106b-5p is upregulated in both HCC patients' tumor tissues and HCC cell lines. The miR-106b-5p expression level was positively correlated with α-fetoprotein (AFP), hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and tumor size. Overexpression of miR-106b-5p promoted cell proliferation, migration, cell cycle G1/S transition, and tumor growth, while decreased miR-106b-5p expression had opposite effects. Mechanistic studies showed that B-cell translocation gene 3 (BTG3), a known antiproliferative protein, was a direct target of miR-106b-5p, whose expression level is inversely correlated with miR-106b-5p expression. Moreover, miR-106b-5p positively regulates cell proliferation in a BTG3-dependent manner, resulting in upregulation of Bcl-xL, cyclin E1, and CDK2, as well as downregulation of p27. More importantly, we also demonstrated that miR-106b-5p enhances the resistance to sorafenib treatment in a BTG3-dependent manner. The in vivo findings showed that mice treated with a miR-106b-5p sponge presented a smaller tumor burden than controls, while the mice injected cells treated with miR-106b-5p had more considerable tumor burden than controls. Altogether, these data suggest that miR-106b-5p promotes cell proliferation and cell cycle and increases HCC cells' resistance to sorafenib through the BTG3/Bcl-xL/p27 signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to fill the research gap of high metal loading of high performance PtNi alloy catalysts, a PtNi/C alloy nano-catalyst with metal loading more than 50 wt.% and core-shell like structure was prepared by ethylene glycol reduction, high temperature annealing, and acid pickling. The electrochemical test results showed that the prepared PtNi alloy catalyst had excellent electrochemical activity: the electrochemical surface area (ECSA) was 63.8 m2·gPt−1, and the mass activity (MA) was 0.574 A·mgPt−1, which is 2.73 times greater than those of the Pt/C JM (Johnson Matthey) catalyst. The durability of the PtNi/C catalyst was further investigated. After 30 K cycles of accelerated durability test, the ECSA and MA of the PtNi/C alloy catalyst decreased by 10.2% and 31.2%, respectively. The PtNi/C alloy catalyst prepared in this study has excellent catalytic activity and overcomes the problem of insufficient durability of traditional alloy catalysts and has the potential for large-scale commercial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]