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In urban drainage systems, falling sewage in drop structures expedites the mass transfer of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and oxygen (O2). This process is important for sewer odor and corrosion control; however, direct experiments and relevant knowledge are limited. This study conducted laboratory experiments using two typical forms of falling sewage: free-falling jet and attached-falling jet. The results show that mass transfer coefficient KL and concentration deficit ratio r (the ratio of upstream-to-downstream gas concentration deficiency) increase with an increase of sewage drop height (0.2–1.4 m) and with a decrease of flow rate (0.9–2.0 L/min). Nonlinear correlations between r and the hydraulic parameters were proposed. The free-falling jet contributed about 40% more mass transfer than the attached-falling jet. The mass transfer rate in free-falling drop structures of this study was 3–13 times that in gravity sewers without drop structures. In addition, O2 is an appropriate surrogate gas for studying H2S mass transfer. Finally, the mass transfer of O2 in a prototype drop structure was estimated: if the drop height is <3 m , the jet may not break up, the mass transfer at the jet surface can be neglected, and almost all the mass transfer happens at the bottom pool of the drop structure; however, if the drop height is >6 m , falling droplets are the main (>80%) contributor. This study provides a tool for estimating the mass transfer in drop structures, which can optimize the design of drop structures to control sewer odor and pipe corrosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a primary cause of odor and corrosion in sewer systems. In drop structures, falling wastewater impinges the surface of bottom water pool as a jet or numerous drops, triggering a high level of turbulence and thus enhancing the emission of H2S and the absorption of oxygen (O2) at the pool surface. In this study, laboratory experiments were conducted to study the mass transfer at the pool surface with falling water drops or a single jet of water. In the test range of falling flow rate of 49–223 mm/h and falling velocity of 3.1–5.2 m/s [kinetic energy flux (KEF)=0.11–0.80 J/(m2·s)] , the mass transfer coefficient KL for the pool surface was found to be 2.6–14.8×10−5 m/s for H2S. In addition, KL was found to be 76% larger when the pool surface was impinged by water drops than by a single jet. KL was 27%−47% larger in the half of the water surface directly receiving the drops or jet than the other half. The increase of water depth in the pool promoted the mass transfer, especially for the scenario of falling jet. Equations were proposed to predict KL under drops or jet. Moreover, KL for H2S and for O2 was found almost the same, indicating O2 can be a safe surrogate gas for H2S. Finally, the research results were applied to estimate H2S emissions at the pool surface of a prototype drop structure with a falling height of up to 10 m, which showed that turbulent wastewater surface can enhance mass transfer over 100 times compared with a quiescent surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper conducted a computational fluid dynamics study of bubbly jets (not bubble plumes due to pure gas injection) in crossflow to explore the hydrodynamics that are still unknown. A three-dimensional model was developed, calibrated, and validated by coupling the Euler–Euler two-fluid model with unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes approach in OpenFOAM. The results showed that the modeled gas void fraction, bubble velocity, water jet centerline trajectory, and jet expansion agree well with the experimental data. The vertical distribution of turbulent kinetic energy evolves from mono-peak to dual-peaks as the jet penetrates farther for the bubbly jet due to the interactions between bubbles and ambient water flow. Water velocity distribution was examined at cross sections of both the air- and water-phases of bubbly jets in crossflow, and counter-rotating vortex pairs can be clearly observed for both phases. Generally, the center-plane maximum concentration decreases in the crossflow direction. Compared to pure water jets, bubbly jets are stretched wider in the vertical direction due to the lift of bubbles, and thus, dilution is larger. Interestingly, the vorticity at water jet cross sections of bubbly jets evolves from two vertical "kidney-shapes" to two axisymmetric "thumb-up-shapes." Moreover, effects of ambient crossflow on bubbly jet behaviors were systematically examined. As the crossflow velocity increases, the locations of maximum concentration, maximum velocity magnitude, maximum vorticity magnitude, as well as water jet centerline, all tend to be lower for bubbly jets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Portable and timely monitoring of blood pressure (BP) is critical for early prevention and daily control of hypertension. Despite tremendous efforts, achieving a wearable and continuous BP monitoring system remains a challenge. Of special attention is the piezoelectric approach with intrinsically good dynamic response characteristics and high fidelity through correlating arterial pulse waves with BP waves. However, the piezoelectric arterial pulse dynamic response is elusive. Here, we review state-of-the-art wearable BP measurements and arterial pulse wave monitoring using piezoelectric sensors. We then discuss the challenges and some possible solutions in wearable continuous BP monitoring. Finally, we propose a potential wearable BP monitoring strategy using arterial pulse piezoelectric dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paging problem is that of deciding which pages to keep in a memory of k pages in order to minimize the number of page faults in a two-level store. It is a special case of the famous k -server problem. In this paper, we firstly show that WFA is k M / m -competitive for the k -server problem where the distances between two points are all in [ m , M ] (0 < m ≤ M), and thus WFA is k -competitive for the paging problem. And we further show that the well known F I F O for the paging problem is just a special case of WFA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Combined structure descriptors and ANN for fast and accurate TiO 2 energy prediction. • ANN shows limited prediction for band gap values with intense data fluctuation. • Key factors affecting stability and photoelectronic performance are identified. • Increasing complexity of ANN model does not necessarily boost predictive power. • Structural factors contributing to variations in TiO 2 band gap are more complicated. Fast and accurate prediction of certain properties from a given structure, as well as pinpointing key factors influencing particular properties, is crucial for the targeted design of new compounds with desired properties or crystal phase compositions. In the current work, a total of 2,419,200 Gaussian-type structure descriptors (GTSDs) were utilized as a bridge to establish artificial neural network (ANN) potential models between 1400 titanium dioxide (TiO 2) structures and their corresponding system energies and band gaps. After training, the ANN showed high accuracy in predicting energy, with R train of 0.985, R test of 0.967, and RMSE of 0.0489. However, for the band gap values with intense data fluctuation, the R train , R test , and RMSE changed to 0.864, 0.832, and 0.1304, respectively, indicating that the ANN's predictive ability for drastically changing data is limited. Compared with ab initio calculations, using ANN model can increase the calculation speed by 4–6 orders of magnitude. Furthermore, we identified the most significant features affecting the system energy and band gap values as the shape and distortion of [TiO x ] polyhedra through the random forest model. Our work aims to provide a new toolkit and research ideas for accelerating the development of new materials. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An advanced scheme is proposed for analyzing the galloping stability of the cable. • The nonlinearities from the geometric, damping and wind effect are simultaneously considered. • The limit cycle oscillations (LCOs) and frequency evolution are obtained and investigated. The main cables of suspension bridges in construction are non-circular sections and thus prone to galloping vibrations. The traditional galloping analysis is a linear scheme and cannot address the nonlinearities and coupling effects among the multidirectional vibrations. To provide an approach for the nonlinear galloping, this paper proposes an advanced continuum model based on Hamilton's principle and variational calculus, which can systemically consider the translational and rotational vibrations and the nonlinearities from the geometric, damping and wind effects. On this basis, the computational approach for the continuum model in COMSOL Multiphysics is investigated, and the result comparisons between the proposed approach and finite element method indicate that the continuum model together with the computational approach can accurately determine the dynamic responses of the main cable. When the quasi-steady based wind forces are included, the nonlinear model can be easily used for galloping analysis, and the limit cycle oscillations (LCOs) in the post-instability of the adopted example are obtained, which are the typical nonlinear aeroelastic phenomena for bluff bodies. Also, the obtained frequency evolution of the LCOs is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: In recent years, the anode materials of bismuth(Bi)‐based potassium ion batteries with high theoretical capacity and suitable potassium ion insertion potential have attracted extensive attention. However, due to the volume expansion of Bi, the performance of Bi‐based anode materials is not ideal during potassium ion (de)intercalation. In order to solve these problems, we report a three‐dimensional (3D) ternary bismuth nanoparticles/conductive polymers/carbon nanotubes (Bi/PPy/CNT) hybrid anode material for K‐ion batteries. At a current density of 100 mA·g–1, its reversible capacity reaches 302 mAh·g–1 after 200 cycles, while it reaches 195.7 mAh·g–1 after 600 cycles at 1 A·g–1. Its excellent performance is attributed to the hydrogel network which provides a range of electron transport networks and high porosity. Carbon nanotubes are used as electron enhancers to reduce the volume expansion of Bi particles during the reaction. This study provides a prerequisite for expanding the application of 3D ternary materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

However, our findings align with those showing changes in gene expression profiles of peripheral T cells in patients undergoing OIT,7 suggesting an important role of T cells in immune homeostasis in food allergy. Gastrointestinal T cells reveal differentially expressed transcripts and enriched pathways during peanut oral immunotherapy Oral immunotherapy (OIT) has been successful in desensitizing patients to offending food allergens,1 although the identification of tissue-resident T-cell subsets and cognate pathways leading to desensitization has been challenging. [Extracted from the article]

The structures of soil humus (HS) amended with organic wastes (OWs) were closely related to properties of OWs-derived humus-like substances (HSL). This work evaluated the properties of HSL isolated from mushroom residue (MR), chicken manure (CM), sheep manure (SM), tree leaves (TL), maize straw (MS) and fodder grass (FG) and studied the structures of soil humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) amended with these OW. FTIR results showed that the relative intensities at 1,640 cm−1 peaks of TL-, FG- and SM-derived HAL were higher than other CM-, MS- and MR-derived HAL (p < 0.05), while the 2,930/1,640 ratios were lower (p < 0.05). Relatively lower E4/E6 ratios and ΔlogK values of TL-, FG- and SM-derived HAL were recorded (p < 0.05). Relative intensities at 1,620 cm−1 peaks of soil HA and soil FA amended with TL, FG and SM were higher than other OWs, while the 2,930/1,620 ratios were significantly lower (p < 0.05). The 2,930/1,620 ratio of soil HA and soil FA amended with MS and CM was the highest, respectively. In conclusion, the properties of OWs-derived HSL play important roles in functional groups of soil HS amended with these OWs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, computer vision has witnessed significant attention in the research on object detection in remote-sensing images. Unlike objects in traditional natural images, those in remote sensing images are captured vertically by spacecraft, introducing arbitrary directionality, substantial scale variation, and a more complex background. We propose a rotation-equivariant detector enhanced with feature fusion and attention modules to address remote sensing image object detection challenges. Specifically, we introduce a Rotation-Enhanced Feature Extraction (REFE) module and a Rotational Equivariant Attention (REA) module. These enhancements empower the detector to extract object information more effectively from remotely sensed images, filtering out complex background information and improving detection accuracy and stability. Through extensive experiments on diverse and challenging remote sensing image datasets, our method outperforms the task of object detection. Remarkably, our network achieves 1.0, 2.91, and 1.11 mean average precision (mAP) improvements on the DOTA-v1.5, HRSC2016 and DIOR-R datasets. These experimental results robustly demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of our proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • FAT10 expression in HCC cells limits the efficacy of anti-VEGF therapy. • FAT10-mediated multiple non-VEGF factors in HCC cells promote VEGF-independent angiogenesis. • FAT10 can simultaneously enhance the activation of multiple signaling pathways in HCC cell. • FAT10 can simultaneously stabilize multiple substrates in HCC cells. • The efficacy of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy is limited. The efficacy of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy is limited. However, the key factors involved in limiting the efficacy of anti-VEGF therapy and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. To investigate the effects and mechanisms of human leukocyte antigen F locus-adjacent transcript 10 (FAT10), a ubiquitin-like protein, in limiting the efficacy of anti-VEGF therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. FAT10 was knocked out in HCC cells using the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)–CRISPR-associated protein 9 technology. Bevacizumab (BV), an anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody, was used to evaluate the efficacy of anti-VEGF therapy in vivo. Mechanisms of FAT10 action were assessed by RNA sequencing, glutathione S-transferase pulldown assays and in vivo ubiquitination assays. FAT10 accelerated VEGF-independent angiogenesis in HCC cells which limited BV efficacy and BV-aggravated hypoxia and inflammation promoted FAT10 expression. FAT10 overexpression increased levels of proteins involved in several signaling pathways in HCC cells, resulting in upregulation of VEGF and multiple non-VEGF proangiogenic factors. Upregulation of multiple FAT10-mediated non-VEGF signals compensated for the inhibition of VEGF signaling by BV, enhancing VEGF-independent angiogenesis and promoting HCC growth. Our preclinical findings identify FAT10 in HCC cells as a key factor limiting the efficacy of anti-VEGF therapy and elucidate its underlying mechanisms. This study provides new mechanistic insights into the development of antiangiogenic therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An improve virtual space vector pulse-width modulation strategy is presented to address simultaneously the problem of common mode voltage with neutral point voltage fluctuations in wind power converters. • Compared with the traditional virtual space vector pulse-width modulation, the common mode voltage peak is reduced by 50%. • Neutral point current is added to zero is selected to synthesize the new virtual small vector and the new virtual medium vector. • A feedback mechanism is established to suppress the NPV fluctuation. An improved virtual space vector pulse-width modulation (IVSVPWM) strategy is presented to address simultaneously the problem of common mode voltage (CMV) with neutral point voltage (NPV) fluctuations in wind power converters. The proposed IVSVPWM method suppresses the amplitude of the common mode voltage to U dc /6 by discarding the positive small vector. Meanwhile, the new virtual vector is synthesized by selecting a vector whose neutral point current sums to zero among the retained voltage vectors. In addition, a feedback mechanism is established in the proposed strategy. According to the feedback result, the distribution coefficients of each basic vector in the virtual vector are recalculated to suppress the NPV fluctuation. Through the above control strategy, the dual effect of suppressing the CMV and balancing the NPV is achieved in the full modulation. The feasibility and effectiveness of the strategy are verified by simulation and experiment. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate stiffness estimation of linear guideway assembly is determined by the structural deformation of carriage and supporting rail-pedestal-bolt joint. This paper proposes an analytical model to investigate the stiffness and local subsidence behaviors of linear guideway assembly. The different preload states between the upper and lower raceways are revealed, and the retraction behavior of carriage wing is found. Considering the local subsidence of the rail below a carriage, the proposed model reports the non-uniform load distribution along the finite-length rail, which is placed on the rough foundation and assembled by bolts. Loading tests are performed to verify the local sinking effect and the model accuracy. The developed model is promising to serve to the deformation error compensation. • Propose the stiffness model for linear guideway assembly considering structure flexibilities. • Model and verify the local subsidence of rail-pedestal-bolt joint with fractal rough interfaces. • Reveal the retraction behavior of the carriage wing under downward loading. • Analyze the different initial preload states between the upper and lower raceways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is the primary cause of odor and corrosion in sewer systems. When wastewater breaks up into small droplets in drop structures, the emission of H2S is expected to be significantly enhanced relative to that of the continuously falling sewage. However, limited studies have been conducted on the mass transfer coefficient, KL , of dissolved gas in falling water droplet emissions into air. In this study, laboratory experiments of falling liquid droplets in air were conducted with two gases: H2S and carbon dioxide (CO2). In the droplet diameter (3.02–4.68 mm) and free-falling height (0.1–1.5 m) testing ranges, the KL value at 20°C was found to be 0.9–4.5×10−4 m/s , which increased with the falling height (or velocity) and decreased with the droplet size. Existing prediction equations show a great range (up to 10 times) for KL and cannot accurately predict the experimental results. Therefore, a modified equation was proposed to better predict KL. In addition, CO2 was found to be a suitable surrogate for H2S in mass transfer due to the toxicity of H2S. Finally, the research results were applied in large and small sewage drop structures. More than 70% of H2S emission to equilibrium could be achieved after falling 15 m in large drop structures depending on droplet sizes. In small drop structures, the results of free-falling water droplets were found to approximately model the complex H2S emission process. This study provides new insights into the physical process and modeling of H2S release in sewage drop structures, which are useful for odor and corrosion control in municipal drainage systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An acid-tolerant mutant of A. succinogenes was obtained by adaptive evolution. • A 20.77 g/L of succinic acid titer with a yield of 0.63 g/g was achieved at pH 5.8. • The activities of specific enzymes with ATP generation were significantly increased. • Membrane unsaturated fatty acids of mutant were increased under low pH condition. Fermentation at low pH is an efficient way to improve the competitiveness of biological succinic acid-producing process. Actinobacillus succinogenes shows good performance of succinic acid production under anaerobic conditions, but its succinic acid production capability at the low-pH is inefficient due to the poor acid resistance. Herein, a mutant A. succinogenes BC-4 with improved cell growth and succinic acid production under weak acid conditions was obtained by adaptive evolution. The specific growth rate and succinic acid production of BC-4 reached 0.13 g/L/h and 20.77 g/L, which were increased by 3.25- and 2.95- fold, respectively compared with the parent strain under anaerobic condition at pH 5.8. The activities of specific enzymes with ATP generation were significantly enhanced under weak acidic conditions, resulting in 1.28-fold increase in the maximum ATP level. Membrane fatty acid composition analysis demonstrated that the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids was decreased from 1.62 to 1.44 in mutant BC-4, leading to improved intracellular pH homeostasis. Furthermore, the change from long-chain to median-chain fatty acid might lower the permeability of H+ into cytoplasm for survival under acid stress. These results indicated that A. succinogenes BC-4 is a promising candidate for succinic acid production under weak acid condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of 3D printing and synthetic biology is a sustainable strategy to fabricate biological objects and systems that behave in a preprogrammed manner. Many microorganisms have been genetically engineered as cell factories for the biosynthesis of chemicals using fermentation, and 3D printing of living materials using these cells could lead to a new paradigm for biomanufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Patients with Hirayama disease (HD) present with a larger range of neck flexion and show signs of cervical spine instability. Cervical spine stability largely relies on cervical spine muscles. The purpose of this study was to compare the cross-sectional areas (CSAs) of cervical spine muscles between patients with HD and healthy controls, providing some insights into whether there is cervical spine muscle weakness and incongruence in HD patients.Methods: In this retrospective study, cervical spine muscles CSAs of 44 HD patients, as well as that of 44 age- and sex-matched healthy counterparts, were measured on the T2-weighted axial MR images. The ratios of cervical spine muscles CSA to the corresponding vertebral body areas, defined as R-CSAs, and the flexor/extensor CSA ratios were computed and compared between two groups.Results: Compared with healthy counterparts, R-CSAs of total cervical spine muscles, total extensors, superficial extensors, and deep flexors were significantly lower in HD patients. HD patients also demonstrated a significantly greater superficial flexor/superficial extensor CSA ratio than the healthy counterparts, indicating a mismatch between superficial flexors CSA and superficial extensors CSA in HD patients.Conclusions: In this pioneering study, HD patients had decreased size in most cervical spine muscles and a mismatch between CSAs of superficial flexor and that of superficial extensors. These results indicate generalized weakness and incongruence of cervical spine muscles, which may predispose cervical spine of HD patients to a less stable situation. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief. The article duplicates significant parts of a paper that had already appeared in Bioresource Technology, Volume 297, February 2020, 122410, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2019.122410. One of the conditions of submission of a paper for publication is that authors declare explicitly that the paper has not been previously published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Re-use of any data should be appropriately cited. As such this article represents a misuse of the scientific publishing system. The scientific community takes a very strong view on this matter and apologies are offered to readers of the journal that this was not detected during the submission process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu-N-C electrocatalyst was successfully prepared with Cu-BTC and polyacrylonitrile as templates by electrospinning and in-situ growth method. The effect of various N -doped content on the electrochemical performance of the catalyst were investigated and the Cu-N-C-0.25 exhibited the best OER/ORR catalytic activities. When it was applied to the cathode of the zinc-air batteries, the power density of Cu-N-C-0.25 was 209.1 mW cm − 2 , which exceeded that of the commercial Pt/C + IrO2 hybrid catalyst (157 mW cm − 2 ). The excellent electrochemical performance may be attributed to large number of active sites and high specific surface area on Cu-N-C electrocatalyst. It will be a promising alternative to precious metal catalysts containing Pt, Ir or Ru and their oxides. A simple and convenient method (electrospinning technique and soaking technique) was used to prepare a novel Cu-N-CNFs as a bifunctional electrochemical catalyst. The morphology and structure of Cu-N-C-0.25 were studied by SEM. The results showed the conjunct effects of the 3D porous cross-linked microstructures of carbon nanofibers, copper particles, doping of N element and structural defects as catalytic active sites, so that the carbon nanofibers have higher catalytic efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The toxicity of butanol to microbial cells makes it difficult to scale-up the acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) fermentation process. Bioconversion of butanol into more valuable and nontoxic short-chain esters, such as butyl butyrate which is widely used in the food, beverage, and biofuel sectors, offers a promising alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to assess the computed tomography (CT) findings of gastric schwannoma (GS) and identify the difference between large (> 5 cm) and small (≤ 5 cm) GS. CT findings of 38 pathologically proven cases of GSs were retrospectively reviewed. The CT evaluation of GS included categorical variables (location, contour, growth pattern, enhancement pattern, necrosis, ulceration, calcification, and lymph nodes) and continuous variables (size, CT value of 3 phases, and enhancement degree). The lesion was divided into 2 groups (large [> 5 cm] and small [≤ 5 cm] GS) according to the tumor size. The Fisher exact test was used for categorical variables and the Student t or Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables. Of the 38 patients, there were 32 women and 6 men. The median age was 54.5 years (range 39–79). Most of patients (65.8%, [25 of 38]) had nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal or gastric pain, fullness and discomfort, bleeding, and melena. The tumors were mainly located in the stomach body (71.1% [27 of 38]), and the mean diameter was 3.7 cm (range 1.5 cm-10.3 cm), of which included large (> 5 cm) (n = 8) and small (≤ 5 cm) (n = 30). All of the GSs were benign, 9 of whom had palpable perigastric lymph nodes, which confirmed by pathology for the reactive inflammatory hyperplasia. Growth pattern, pattern of enhancement, necrosis, calcification, surface ulceration, and lymph node in the CT images were found to be significant variables for differentiating large (> 5 cm) and small (≤ 5 cm) GS (P <.05). GSs were predominantly located at the gastric body and occurred most frequently in women between the ages of 40–70 years, and showed gradual enhancement after contrast enhancement. Palpable perigastric lymph nodes could not be considered as malignant factor of GS. There 7 computed CT criteria are significant difference between large (> 5 cm) and small (≤ 5 cm) GS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improper disposal of wipes results in significant sewer blockages, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the formation and growth of wipe blockages and their backwater effect in sewers have not been studied. This study employed a vertical rod to simulate sewer obstructions such as tree root intrusion in sewers. Stochastic interactions among wipes, turbulent flow, and the obstruction were experimentally studied in a circular pipe (diameter D = 25 cm), with systematic variations in flow Froude number (Fr), wipe length (L), flow depth (H), submerged rod length (hrod), and rod diameter (drod). It was found that the mean area ratio of wipes (ratio of projected area in water to original surface area of the wipe) ranged from 0.14 to 0.30, indicating the distorted shapes in water. The entrapment probability P (ratio of entrapped to released wipes) for a single wipe was closely correlated with Fr, H/D, L/H, drod/H, and hrod/H, with a maximum value of 0.90. With the increase in the number of wipes released, the influence of the obstruction on wipe accumulation processes became negligible. New equations were developed for characterizing entrapment probability, blockage length, and backwater rise, which can be used to predict the development of wipe blockages and sewage levels. Based on the research findings, policy and management strategies were proposed for wipe blockage reduction in sewers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the migration and distribution of microplastics (MPs) in the natural environment have garnered worldwide attention. However, little is known about the transport and intercept of MPs in infiltration systems. In infiltration systems, MPs could affect the flow through porous media, leading to complex flow and removal dynamics in various engineering applications. This will threaten the ecosystem and human health due to the characteristics of MPs. In this study, a two-dimensional porous media flow cell was developed to visualize the transport and intercept of microplastic particles in porous media. Statistical data on pore characteristics were gathered by tracking changes in pore clogging state under different particle concentrations and flow rates. It was found that the size ratio dt/dp was the critical factor influencing pore throat clogging probability. Pore throats were categorized into persistent-clogging, occasional-clogging, and non-clogging based on their clogging probability at different dt/dp. Additionally, the parameter dt/dpU that distinguished the occasional-clogging zone from the non-clogging zone decreased with increasing particle concentration. The clogging probability in the occasional-clogging zone was influenced by dt/dp, particle flux, and flow velocity in the pore throat. Furthermore, two distinct clogging mechanisms, independent and dependent clogging, were observed, determined by the states of neighboring pores. These findings have implications for assessing the interception performance of MPs in filtration systems. The results enhance our understanding of MPs transport and interception dynamics in porous media and contribute to the optimization of filtration system design and operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Unicystic ameloblastomas are a variant of ameloblastoma with a definite recurrence rate because of the biological behaviours of the tumour. The risk factors associated with disease recurrence were analysed in this retrospective study. Methods: A total of 132 patients with primary unicystic ameloblastoma reported in a tertiary hospital from 2005 to 2015 were analysed to identify the clinic‐pathological and radiological factors associated with recurrence using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Results: The mean volume was 30.54cm3 ± 12.55 cm3, and this value differed significantly according to recurrence (p < 0.001). Root resorption and bone cortex/soft tissue invasion were also significantly associated with recurrence among unicystic ameloblastoma patients (p = 0.017 vs. p < 0.001, respectively). A new stage classification system was developed to predict disease recurrence of patients. The multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that the new stage classification system was the only predictor of disease recurrence in unicystic ameloblastoma patients (p < 0.001), regardless of root resorption, position and site characteristics. Conclusions: Volume, root resorption and bone cortex/soft tissue invasion were risk factors for disease recurrence among unicystic ameloblastoma patients. The new stage classification was an independent predictor of disease recurrence in patients with unicystic ameloblastoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 53 subtypes of ARGs for 22 types of antibiotics were commonly present in composting. • The whole elimination rate of ARGs in composting was about 50%. • More than 50 subtypes of ARGs were diehard and rooted in compost. • ARGs transferred from pathogenic bacteria to thermophilic bacteria by HGT via MGEs. Transmission of ARGs during composting with different feedstocks (i.e., sheep manure (SM), chicken manure (CM) and mixed manure (MM, SM:CM = 3:1 ratio) was studied by metagenomic sequencing. 53 subtypes of ARGs for 22 types of antibiotics were identified as commonly present in these compost mixes; among them, CM had higher abundance of ARGs, 1.69 times than that in SM, while the whole elimination rate of CM, MM and SM were 55.2%, 54.7% and 42.9%, respectively. More than 50 subtypes of ARGs (with 8.6%, 11.4% and 20.9% abundance in the initial stage in CM, MM and SM composting) were "diehard" ARGs, and their abundance grew significantly to 56.5%, 63.2% and 69.9% at the mature stage. These "diehard" ARGs were transferred from initial hosts of pathogenic and/or probiotic bacteria to final hosts of thermophilic bacteria, by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) via mobile gene elements (MGEs), and became rooted in composting products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous increase of human society's demand for marine resources, underwater vision plays an increasingly important role in marine information acquisition. However, due to the absorption and scattering of light, underwater images have characteristics such as blurring, low contrast, and color distortion, which are not conducive to the acquisition of underwater image information. The rapid development of deep learning and powerful feature learning capabilities have been widely used in underwater image enhancement tasks, but current research still has problems such as loss of local details and oversaturation. Aiming at the above problems, this paper proposes an underwater image enhancement method combining dual color space and contrast learning, including RGB color space and Lab color space. The RGB color space is used for color correction and artifact removal, and the Lab color space is used to enhance saturation and detail texture. The contrastive learning of positive and negative samples makes the generated image closer to the clear underwater image and deviates from the real underwater image. Experimental results on real underwater datasets show that the proposed method achieves the best results on PSNR, SSIM and UIQM compared to other underwater image enhancement methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Prediction of the vibration and sound radiation of an elastic cylindrical shell with nonlinear internal structures is of significant interest to marine and aerospace industries. This paper investigates the structural and acoustic behaviors of a finite cylindrical shell attached with a nonlinear spring-mass-damper system and embedded in an infinite acoustic medium. The restoring forces of the springs are expressed as general polynomial functions of the spring deformation, from which the nonlinear quadratic, cubic and quartic springs can be directly recovered. The exact three-dimensional theory of elasticity is employed for the structural modeling of the cylindrical shell. The discretized equations of motion of the coupled nonlinear structural system are established using an efficient modified variational method, and the fluid surrounding the shell is computed by a time-domain Kirchhoff boundary integral formulation. The two sets of structural and acoustic equations are coupled together through the compatibility conditions on the fluid-structure interface. The present results are validated by comparing the solutions obtained from the finite element method and those available in the literature. The vibration and sound pressure responses of the coupled structural system with nonlinear quadratic, cubic and quartic springs are investigated. The contributions of the circumferential wave modes of the shell to the nonlinear vibro-acoustic responses and sound directivity patterns of the nonlinear coupled structural system are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • 1D Ni/Co-MOF-derived NiCo 2 O 4 /NiO/carbon nanofibers were successfully fabricated. • The resultant sample displays superior sodium-storage properties. • The superior performance can be due to the novel structure and notable synergy. Abstract Rational design of nanostructured metal oxides with carbon substrates is urgently needed to improve the electrochemical properties of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). In this paper, the preparation of one-dimensional (1D) metal-organic frameworks grown on polymer(Co/Ni) fiber films via a feasible electrospinning method and in situ growth strategy is reported. After successive carbonization and oxidation heat-treatments, hierarchical heteroatom-doped carbon nanofibers decorated with several nanocomposites (denoted as NiCo 2 O 4 /NiO/carbon nanofibers) were obtained. When their electrochemical properties were evaluated by testing Na half-cells, the resultant sample displayed a high sodium-storage capacity of 210 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g−1 and an outstanding rate capability. The enhancement of the sodium-storage performance of NiCo 2 O 4 /NiO/carbon nanofibers was ascribed to the novel structure and the synergistic effect between Co/Ni-Oxide and carbon component. The 1D carbonized nanofibers are well intertwined to form a three-dimensional conductive matrix with heterogeneous particles embedded, which can effectively reduce the ionic diffusion distance and ensure high electronic mobility along their 1D geometry, leading to rapid diffusion kinetics. Furthermore, well-dispersed heterogeneous particles endow the composite high surface to exposure to the electrolyte, which can contribute to a high utilization rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper is concerned with the numerical analysis of structural and acoustic behaviors of composite laminated plates under the action of moving loads. The plate is assumed to be immersed in a compressible inviscid fluid. The moving loads may traverse on the surface of the plate along arbitrarily-shaped curved trajectories. The structural model of the plate is formulated using a modified variational principle combined with a multilevel partitioning procedure (i.e., individual layer and layer segment). The exact 3-D theory of elasticity is employed for the structural modeling in order to accommodate the analysis of arbitrarily thick composite plates, and the displacement field of each layer segment is approximated by Chebyshev orthogonal polynomials. A time-domain boundary element method based on Kirchhoff integral formulation is adopted to couple with the structural model of the plate to evaluate the radiated sound pressure of the fluid. Assessment of the accuracy of the present method is made by comparing the solutions attained from the coupled finite element/boundary element method. The effects of the velocities and trajectories of the moving loads on the dynamic responses of composite sandwich plates as well as the far-field radiated sound are investigated. The modal contributions to the vibro-acoustic responses of the plates are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributed system is efficient and scalable in modern power grid. However, a distributed system is so susceptible to attack. In this paper, we formulate consensus-based distributed economic problem under attacks, and the convergence of the algorithm under a realizable and general stealthy attack is proved. Then the expression of the convergence point is also provided. Furthermore, a strategy based on a defined observation network is proposed to detect whether the system is attacked by the false data injection to broadcast information. Consequently, the misbehaving agents are detected and removed, and the other agents can reach the optimal point under new optimal objective, the incremental cost and total generation cost can be decreased. The simulation studies not only validate the theoretical results but also show the effectiveness of proposed strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract To tackle the issue of poor rate capability and long-term cycle stability of carbonaceous anodes for potassium-ion batteries, we herein introduce antimony nanoparticles finely encapsulated in nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped mesoporous carbon nanofibers as a novel anode material for potassium-ion batteries. It exhibits high specific capacity and ultra-long cycling stability, delivering a capacity of 266.2 mAh g−1 at 50 mA g−1 after 50 cycles and retaining a capacity of 130 mAh g−1 at 1000 mA g−1 after 1500 cycles. The excellent electrochemical performance is mainly attributed to the interconnected networks and abundant active surface sites as well as robust mechanical properties of the mesoporous carbon nanofibers. More importantly, Sb nanoparticles are encapsulated in the carbon nanofibers, resulting in high theoretical capacities. The observed superior cyclic stability and rate capability render it a promising electrode material that can be further explored for high-performance and robust potassium-ion batteries. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Sb nanoparticles finely encapsulated in N, P co-doped mesoporous carbon nanofibers are fabricated. • Sb@NPMC as anode material presents excellent electrochemical performance. • The high capacity and ultracycle-stable are achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Vascularity is a critical feature in the evaluation of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PNET). When done by EUS, contrast agents are recommended. However, vascular architecture (VA) can also be evaluated by routine Doppler flow in EUS without contrast agents. Our aim was to provide a simple VA classification in EUS for PNET grade and prognosis.Methods: All pathologically proven PNET cases with EUS between 2012 and 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The Doppler imaging was retrieved for VA classification. Predictive model construction was performed by machine learning algorithms.Results: A total of 112 PNET cases were evaluated, among which 93 cases were subjected to VA classification. The VA was classified into type A (peritumoral with or without intratumoral vessels [A1 or A2]); type B (only intratumoral vessels); and type C (flow was absent). The VA classification was significantly correlated with tumor grades: 74% type A1 was G1, 73% type B was G2, and 58% type C was G3. Multivariate analysis indicated that elevated serum CA19-9 and type C classification were the independent predictors of G3 tumor. Five machine learning models were constructed, among which random forest was the best one with an AUC of 0.9972. Low-risk patients classified by this model exhibited better prognosis than high-risk patients (p = 0.0087).Conclusions: In the novel simple VA classification, peritumoral, intratumoral, and absent vessels are prone to be G1, G2, and G3, respectively. Combined with serum CA19-9 and lesion size, the VA classification could predict tumor grade and prognosis in PNET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of high-capacity and long cycle stability has always been regarded as a prerequisite for efficient anode materials in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). In this work, we design and synthesize carbon-encapsulated 1D SnO 2 /NiO heterojunction hollow nanotubes (SnO 2 /NiO@C) and successfully apply them as an anode material for SIBs. SnO 2 /NiO@C is synthesized by a facile electrospinning technique and subsequent chemical bath deposition, followed by polydopamine (PDA) carbonization. The 1D hollow structure can effectively reduce the diffusion length of sodium ions and the large volume variation of SnO 2 during cycling. In addition, carbonized PDA is uniformly dispersed on the SnO 2 /NiO hollow nanotubes, not only contributing to structural stability, but also acting as a conductive matrix to enhance the battery performance. SIBs based on SnO 2 /NiO@C anodes exhibit a highly reversible capacity of 320 mAh g −1 after 200 cycles at 100 mA g −1 and a considerably stable long cycling performance. The present work highlights the potential of SnO 2 /NiO@C based anode materials for the development of high-performance SIBs with combined high capacity and long cycle stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study presents a general approach for the synthesis of carbon‐encapsulated wire‐in‐tube Co3O4/MnO2 heterostructure nanofibers (Co3O4/MnO2@C) via electrospinning followed by calcination. The as‐synthesized Co3O4/MnO2@C is investigated as the sodium‐ion batteries anode material, which not only exhibits a high reversible capacity of 306 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1 over 200 cycles, but also shows a cycling stability of 126 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles at a high current density of 800 mA g−1. The excellent electrochemical performance can be ascribed to the contribution from carbon‐encapsulated outer‐tube Co3O4 and inner‐wire MnO2 heterostructures, which offer a large internal space and good electrical conductivity. The present work can be helpful in providing new insights into heterostructures for sodium‐ion batteries and other applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anti-icing asphalt pavements can delay surface icing by reducing the freezing point to a certain degree. This study conducted the laboratory and field investigation to compare the anti-icing effectiveness and mechanical performance of two anti-icing stone mastic asphalt (SMA). Two types of anti-icing modifiers (e.g. LX II and MFL) were used in SMA respectively. The electrical conductivity test, ice melting test, and outdoor snow melting test were conducted on fresh and aged LX II SMA and MFL SMA, respectively, to evaluate the anti-icing effectiveness. The effect of anti-icing additives on high-temperature stability, low-temperature cracking resistance, and water stability of SMA were also analyzed. Two in-situ pavements were constructed using LX II SMA and MFL SMA. The anti-icing effectiveness of LX II and MFL pavement were compared by the observation of ice formation and snow accumulation on pavement surface on snowy days. The results showed that after long-term aging of anti-icing SMA, the chloride in LX II and MFL was more easily released. Two anti-icing additives had no significant effect on the water stability of SMA, and only slightly reduced high-temperature stability and low-temperature cracking resistance. LX II presented better anti-icing performance than MFL in both laboratory and field conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of synthetic microbial consortia has been considered a new frontier. However, maintaining artificial microbial communities remains challenging because the dominant strain eventually outcompetes the others. Inspired by natural ecosystems, one promising approach to assemble stable consortia is to construct spatial niches partitioning subpopulations and overlapping abiotic requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial consortia are emerging as potential platforms for biochemicals production with complex metabolic pathways. Elimination of the carbon competition has been adopted to avoid the competition interaction within microbial cocultures. Elimination of inhibitors from metabolic byproducts can promote the cooperation between members. Crossfeeding and quorum-sensing circuit design can improve the stability and controllability of microbial population. Spatial segregation can easily alter the microbial composition and create individual ecological niches in microbial consortia. Microbial consortia can complete otherwise arduous tasks through the cooperation of multiple microbial species. This concept has been applied to produce commodity chemicals, natural products, and biofuels. However, metabolite incompatibility and growth competition can make the microbial composition unstable, and fluctuating microbial populations reduce the efficiency of chemical production. Thus, controlling the populations and regulating the complex interactions between different strains are challenges in constructing stable microbial consortia. This Review discusses advances in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering to control social interactions within microbial cocultures, including substrate separation, byproduct elimination, crossfeeding, and quorum-sensing circuit design. Additionally, this Review addresses interdisciplinary strategies to improve the stability of microbial consortia and provides design principles for microbial consortia to enhance chemical production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, a novel multifunctional hydrogel that simultaneously possesses strong upconversion luminescence (UL) and temperature responsibility was fabricated based on the crosslinking of hemicellulose and ricinoleic acid capped NaYF4:Yb/Er in the presence of Poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and polyacrylamide (PAAm) aqueous solution by using glow discharge electrolysis plasma (GDEP) initiated technique. Its structure and properties were characterized by wide angle X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectra, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope and fluorescence spectra. The obtained hydrogel exhibited reversibly temperature-dependent UL and highly enhanced sensibility. The luminescence intensity and transmittance of hydrogel showed a sharp decrease in the range of 32-35°C. Furthermore, the luminescence intensity of hydrogel was almost not weakened after five heating-cooling cycles, which may allow their use in remote control thermosensitive switch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor high salt stress resistance remained as a main hurdle limiting the efficient bio-based succinic acid production. In this study, the metabolically engineered E. coli not only showed improvement of high salt stress tolerance through expression of a global regulator IrrE, but also could use seawater for succinic acid fermentation. The recombinant strain showed an increased 1.20-fold of cell growth rate and 1.24-fold of succinic acid production. Expression levels of genes related glucose uptake and succinic acid synthesis were up-regulated, and more glycerol and trehalose were accumulated. Moreover, no significant differences were observed in cell growth even when tap water was replaced by 60% artificial seawater. In the fermentation using Yellow Sea seawater, 24.5 g/L succinic acid was achieved with a yield of 0.88 g/g. This strategy set up a platform for improving abiotic stress tolerances and provide a possible approach for fermentation processes with low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel biorefinery concept of succinic acid (SA) production from fruit and vegetable wastes (FVWs) hydrolyzed by crude enzyme mixtures through solid state fermentation was designed. Enzyme complex solid mashes from various types of FVWs were on-site produced through solid-state fermentation by Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus oryzae . This solid was then added to FVW suspensions and undergo hydrolysis reaction to generate fermentable sugars and other essential nutrients for bacterial growth and product formation. The subsequent fungal hydrolysis produced 12.00 g/L glucose and 13.83 g/L fructose using 10% mass ratio (w/v) of FVW. Actinobacillus succinogenes used this FVW hydrolysate as the sole feedstock and produced 27.03 g/L of succinic acid with high yield and productivity of 1.18 g SA/g sugar and 1.28 gL −1 h −1 , respectively. This work demonstrated that FVWs can be biotransformed to value added products which have considerable potential economics and environmental meaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Succinic acid is a platform chemical with potential for bio-based synthesis. However, the production of bio-based succinate is limited because of insufficient succinate efflux capacity in the late stage of fermentation. In the present study, three different transporters, which have been reported to be responsible for C-dicarboxylates transport, were employed for investigation of the transport capacity of succinate in Escherichia coli. After engineered strains were constructed, the fermentative production of succinic acid was studied in serum bottles and 3 L of fermentor. The results demonstrated that engineered strain showed better efflux capacity than control strain under high concentration of succinate. The highest production of succinate was 68.66 g/L, while the NCgl2130 transporter may be the best candidate for succinate export in E. coli. Further research showed that the expression levels and relative enzyme activities involved in the metabolic pathway all increased markedly, and the maximum activities of PPC, PCK, PYK, and MDH increased by 1.50, 1.38, 1.28, and 1.27-fold in recombinant E. coli AFP111/pTrc99a- NCgl2130, respectively. Moreover, the maximum level of intracellular ATP increased by 23.79% in E. coli AFP111/pTrc99a- NCgl2130. Taken together, these findings indicated that engineered transporters can improve succinate production by increasing key enzyme activities and intracellular ATP levels. To the best of thew authors' knowledge, this is the first report on a mechanism to improve succinate production by engineered transporters. This strategy set up a foundation for improving the biosynthesis of other C-dicarboxylates, such as fumaric acid and malic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asteroid exploration has a significant importance in promoting our understanding of the solar system and the origin of life on Earth. A unique opportunity to study near-Earth asteroid 99942 Apophis will occur in 2029 because it will be at its perigee. In the current work, a drilling, sampling, and sample-handling system (DSSHS) is proposed to penetrate the asteroid regolith, collect regolith samples at different depths, and distribute the samples to different scientific instruments for in situ analysis. In this system, a rotary-drilling method is employed for the penetration, and an inner sampling tube is utilized to collect and discharge the regolith samples. The sampling tube can deliver samples up to a maximum volume of 84 mm 3 at a maximum penetration depth of 300 mm to 17 different ovens. To activate the release of volatile substances, the samples will be heated up to a temperature of 600 °C by the ovens, and these substances will be analyzed by scientific instruments such as a mass spectrometer, an isotopic analyzer, and micro-cameras, among other instruments. The DSSHS is capable of penetrating rocks with a hardness value of six, and it can be used for China's asteroid exploration mission in the foreseeable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post‐infectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI‐IBS) occurs after acute infectious diarrhea, and dysbiosis can be involved in its pathogenesis. Here, the role of chlorogenic acid (CGA) is investigated, a natural compound with several pharmacological properties, in alleviating PI‐IBS in rats. It is elucidated that the gut microbiota plays a key role in PI‐IBS pathogenesis and that rectal administration of CGA alleviated PI‐IBS by modulating the gut microbiota and its metabolites. CGA supplementation significantly increased fecal Bacteroides acidifaciens abundance and glycine levels. Glycine structurally altered B. acidifaciens extracellular vesicles (EVs) and enriched functional proteins in the EVs; glycine‐induced EVs alleviated PI‐IBS by reducing inflammation and hypersensitivity of the intestinal viscera and maintaining mucosal barrier function. Moreover, B. acidifaciens EVs are enriched in the brain tissue. Thus, CGA mediates the mitigation of PI‐IBS through the gut microbiota and its metabolites. This study proposes a novel mechanism of signal exchange between the gut microenvironment and the host. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peripheral nerve injury ( PNI) usually results in poor functional recovery. Nerve repair is the common clinical treatment for PNI but is always obstructed by the chronic degeneration of the distal stump and muscle. Cell transplantation can alleviate the muscle atrophy after PNI, but the subsequent recovery of the locomotive function is seldom described. In this study, we combined cell transplantation and nerve repair to investigate whether the transplantation of embryonic spinal cord cells could benefit the delayed nerve repair. The experiment consisted of 3 stages: transection of the tibial nerve to induce 'pre-degeneration', a second surgery performed 2 weeks later for transplantation of E14 embryonic spinal cord cells or vehicle (culture medium) at the distal end of the injured nerve, and, 3 months later, the removal of the grafted cells and the cross-suturing of the residual distal end to the proximal end of a freshly cut ipsilateral common peroneal ( CP) nerve. Cell survival and fate after the transplantation were investigated, and the functional recovery after the cross-suturing was compared between the groups. The grafted cells could survive and generate motor neurons, extending axons that were subsequently myelinated and forming synapses with the muscle. After the cross-suturing, the axonal regeneration from the proximal stump of the injured CP nerve and the functional recovery of the denervated gastrocnemius muscle were significantly promoted in the group receiving the cells. Our study presents a new perspective indicating that the transplantation of embryonic spinal cord neurons may be a valuable therapeutic strategy for PNI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel class of mesoionic pyrido[1,2- a ]pyrimidinones has been discovered with exceptional insecticidal activity controlling a number of insect species. In this communication, we report the part of the optimization program that led to the identification of dicloromezotiaz as a potent insecticide to control a broad range of lepidoptera. Our efforts in discovery, synthesis, structure-activity relationship elucidation, and biological activity evaluation are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial exhaust gases contributed heavily to anthropogenic CO 2 emissions. In this study, a novel approach of capturing CO 2 from ethylene oxide off-gas and converting it into a platform C4 chemical was established by using succinate-producing E. coli . Fermentation results showed that the acetaldehyde in the off-gas was the main factor inhibiting cell metabolic capability, thus IrrE which is a global regulator from Deinococcus radiodurans was used to improve cell resistance to acetaldehyde. A final succinic acid titer of 68.12 g L −1 with a CO 2 fixation rate of 4.7 mmol L −1 h −1 was achieved. Notably, this coupled process not only realized the CO 2 fixation from ethylene oxide off-gas but also provided a potential cost-effective gas source which holds potential application for bio-based succinate production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM)-based hydrogel with incorporation of graphene oxide (GO) was successfully prepared by glow discharge electrolysis plasma (GDEP). The structure and morphology of the PNIPAM/GO nanocomposite hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), as well as by determination of swelling, mechanical property, phase transformation behaviors, and photo-thermal conversion performance. The results revealed that the phase transition temperatures of all the nanocomposite hydrogels were approximately 33°C and the hydrogel (PG-2), under discharge voltage 600 V, had faster change of swelling ratios for distilled water, more sensitive to pH, and better photo-thermal property than other nanocomposite hydrogels. In addition, shrinkage of the network hydrogels and enhancement of the compressive strength and Young’s modulus took place at higher discharge voltage. This work provided a new pathway for preparation of PNIPAM/GO nanocomposite hydrogels, with environmental friendliness and excellent photo-thermal property, which may allow their use in the intelligence remote controlled area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]