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As triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) technology continue to evolve, its application in harsh environments has increasingly captivated the interest of researchers. However, the current research on heat-resistant triboelectric materials remains predominantly focused on the development of tribo-negative materials, with scant attention given to their equally crucial tribo-positive counterparts. In this study, the tribo-positive polyimide (PI) material with enhanced tribo-positivity is developed by integrating amide groups with electron-donating effects into the molecular chain. Furthermore, the TENG devices based on this series of tribo-positive PI materials have demonstrated an open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 242 V, a short-circuit current (ISC) of 8.13 μA, and a transferred charge (QSC) of 117 nC. Notably, these devices also demonstrate the capability to efficiently generate electricity even under elevated temperature conditions. This work not only proposes a potential molecular design strategy for developing high-performance tribo-positive PI materials applicable in TENGs, but also markedly propels the advancement of robust energy-harvesting devices engineered for operation at elevated temperatures.

ABSTRACT Background The hiatal ligament, as the anatomical landmark for the completion of total mesorectal excision (TME) for ultra‐low rectal cancer, represents a continuation of the longitudinal muscle of the rectum. It receives vascular supply from the median sacral artery and contains lymphatic vessels. In cases where ultra‐low rectal cancer is located in the posterior rectal wall, the hiatal ligament may theoretically serve as an anatomical region susceptible to direct tumor cell spread or distant metastasis. Objective To evaluate the effect of circumferential tumor location (CTL) on postoperative survival of low rectal cancer and to determine the effect of total hiatal ligament excision (THLE) on the prognosis of patients with posterior rectal cancer. Methods Patients with ultra‐low rectal cancer who underwent laparoscopic surgery between March 2014 and October 2021 were enrolled in this study. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was used to compare the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of patients in the posterior group and the non‐posterior group. Prognostic factors were identified using COX regression. PSM analysis was also used in the posterior tumor subgroup to compare the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of patients in the hiatal ligament traditional transection (HLTT) and THLE groups. Results After PSM, OS, and DFS were comparable between the posterior and non‐posterior groups. Similarly, no difference was noted in the local recurrence rate between the two groups (p = 0.23). The prognosis of ultra‐low rectal cancer was not affected by CTL. However, the local recurrence rate was significantly lower in the THLE group compared with the HLTT group (p = 0.023). Multivariate analysis of the posterior group identified CRM, TNM stage III, and HLTT as independent risk factors for local recurrence‐free survival. Conclusions CTL is not a prognostic risk factor for low rectal cancer. In posterior wall tumors, THLE significantly reduces the local recurrence rate for low rectal cancer.

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant bone tumor in adolescents. While treatments for osteosarcoma have improved, the overall survival has not changed for three decades, and thus, new targets for therapeutic development are needed. Recently, glucocorticoids have been reported to have antitumor effects. Mometasone furoate (MF), a synthetic glucocorticoid, is of great value in clinical application, but there are few reports on its antitumor effect. Here, we verified the effect of MF on osteosarcoma in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, apoptosis and cell metastasis were detected using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, flow cytometry, wound-healing and transwell assays, respectively. In vivo, we generated a xenograft mouse model. To examine the potential role of the AMPK pathway, an AMPK-specific inhibitor (dorsomorphin) was used. The expression levels of factors related to the cell cycle, apoptosis and activation of the AMPK/mTOR pathway were assessed by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. MF inhibited proliferation and metastasis and induced S phase arrest and apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo, MF effectively inhibited osteosarcoma cell growth and pulmonary metastasis; however, it had no negative effect on the internal organs. Additionally, MF could activate the AMPK/mTOR pathway in osteosarcoma. Dorsomorphin significantly attenuated MF-induced antitumor activities. In summary, MF can inhibit osteosarcoma proliferation and metastasis and promote osteosarcoma cell apoptosis through the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo, which can provide a new rationale for subsequent academic and clinical research on osteosarcoma treatment.

Abstract As traditional energy reserves continue to decline, the importance of new energy sources increases. However, the current traditional power system often fails to consider new energy sources, particularly in power supply systems that integrate multiple new energy sources. The cost, efficiency, and environmental factors seriously affect the energy system’s efficiency. Therefore, this proposal presents a multi-objective optimization discrete assignment pathfinder algorithm. The algorithm can handle multi-objective optimization problems and adapt to various constraints, providing a more precise optimization scheme for new energy systems. The experimental results indicated that the proposed research method exhibits better performance compared to other algorithms of the same type. Compared with the multi-objective multivariate universe optimization algorithm and the multi-objective sparrow search algorithm, the research method was ahead in terms of fitness value by 9.54% and 14.67%, respectively. Meanwhile, in the grid simulation, the research method achieved an average efficiency of 96.16%, which is better than the comparative algorithms by 6.57–14.02%. The study not only improves the optimization efficiency of new energy consumption, but also provides a powerful decision support tool for the planning and operation of wind farms. It is of great significance for the improvement of power system efficiency and decarbonization, and helps to promote the large-scale integration and sustainable development of new energy.

Inflammation is a major impediment to the healing of cartilage injuries, yet bioactive scaffolds suitable for cartilage repair in inflammatory environments are extremely rare. Herein, we utilized electrospinning to fabricate a two-dimensional nanofiber scaffold (2DS), which was then subjected to gas foaming to obtain a three-dimensional scaffold (3DS). 3DS was modified with metal phenolic networks (MPNs) composed of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and strontium ions (Sr2+) to afford a MPNs-modified 3D scaffold (3DS-E). Gas-foamed scaffold exhibited multilayered structure conducive to cellular infiltration and proliferation. Compared to other groups, 3DS-E better preserved chondrocytes under interleukin (IL)-1β induced inflammatory environment, showing less apoptosis of chondrocytes and higher expression of cartilage matrix. Additionally, 3DS-E facilitated the regeneration of more mature cartilage in vivo, reduced cell apoptosis, and decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines.Taken together, 3DS-E may offer an ideal candidate for cartilage regeneration.

This study investigated the etiology, clinical features, and prognosis of patients diagnosed with bilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss (BSSNHL). The clinical data of 100 patients with bilateral sudden hearing loss as a chief complaint treated at Xiangya Second Hospital of Central South University between January 2010 and August 2022, including clinical characteristics, audiometric data, and prognosis, were retrospectively analyzed. These 100 cases accounted for 8.09% (100/1235) of all patients admitted for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) during the same period. Of these, 71 were simultaneous cases and 29 were sequential cases of BSSNHL. Among the 200 ears analyzed in this study, 13, 36, 57, and 94 had mild, moderate, severe, and profound sensorineural hearing loss, respectively. The overall effective rate after comprehensive treatment was 32%, with significant differences in efficacy and prognosis among different degrees of hearing loss (p

Abstract Purpose To systematically assess the quality of radiomics research in giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB) and to test the feasibility of analysis at the level of radiomics feature. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data to identify articles of GCTB radiomics until 31 July 2022. The studies were assessed by radiomics quality score (RQS), transparent reporting of a multivariable prediction model for individual prognosis or diagnosis (TRIPOD) statement, checklist for artificial intelligence in medical imaging (CLAIM), and modified quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies (QUADAS-2) tool. The radiomic features selected for model development were documented. Results Nine articles were included. The average of the ideal percentage of RQS, the TRIPOD adherence rate and the CLAIM adherence rate were 26%, 56%, and 57%, respectively. The risk of bias and applicability concerns were mainly related to the index test. The shortness in external validation and open science were repeatedly emphasized. In GCTB radiomics models, the gray level co-occurrence matrix features (40%), first order features (28%), and gray-level run-length matrix features (18%) were most selected features out of all reported features. However, none of the individual feature has appeared repeatably in multiple studies. It is not possible to meta-analyze radiomics features at present. Conclusion The quality of GCTB radiomics studies is suboptimal. The reporting of individual radiomics feature data is encouraged. The analysis at the level of radiomics feature has potential to generate more practicable evidence for translating radiomics into clinical application.

Highlights Proposing a one-step pyrolysis strategy to fabricate a novel bilayer-shelled N, O-doped hollow porous carbon microspheres (NOHPC) anode. The optimized NOHPC anode displays a high K-storage capacity of 325.9 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and excellent rate performance (201.1 mAh g−1 at 5 A g−1 after 6000 cycles). The assembled NOHPC//hollow porous activated carbon microspheres (HPAC) potassium ion hybrid capacitors deliver a high energy density of 90.1 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 939.6 W kg−1 even over 6000 cycles.

A new Mg–Sm–Ce–Mn-based alloying system with a large miscibility gap was uncovered, and multi-solute co-segregations at high-angular grain boundaries (HAGBs), dislocations and low-angular grain boundaries (LAGBs) are obtained after the proper extrusion process. During following long-term thermal exposure, the solute along HAGBs gradually evolves into nano-precipitates, while the precipitation process along LAGBs is obviously suppressed due to the intrinsically low-energy character, and numerous G. P. zones and γ” phases are formed in deformed regions, which always keep the limited size and reticular distribution. Consequently, the bimodal-grain structure is thermally stable, and the excellent high-temperature strength can be well maintained.

Developing facile and economical strategies to fabricate nitrogen-doped porous carbon anode is desirable for dual-carbon potassium ion hybrid capacitors (PIHCs). Here, a high-concentration edge-nitrogen-doped porous carbon (NPC) anode is synthesized by a template-free strategy, in which the total content of pyrrolic nitrogen and pyridinic nitrogen accounts for more than 80% of the nitrogen atoms. As a result, the NPC anode displays a capacity of 315.4 mA h g−1 at a current rate of 0.1 A g−1 and 189.1 mA h g−1 at 5 A g−1. Ex situ characterizations and density functional theory calculations demonstrate the high-concentration edge-nitrogen doping enhances K+ adsorption and electronic conductivity of carbon materials, resulting in good electrochemical performance. The assembled NPC//CMK-3 PIHC delivers an energy density of 71.1 W h kg−1 at a power density of 771.9 W kg−1 over 8,000 cycles.

The prognosis of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) has improved with the adoption of a multidisciplinary treatment approach combining neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) and total mesorectal excision (TME). Developing real-time, sensitive biomarkers to monitor systemic changes during nCRT is of paramount importance. Although the association between albumin-derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (Alb-dNLR) and prognosis in various cancers is established, its prognostic value in LARC patients undergoing nCRT is not well-studied. This study enrolled a cohort of 618 LARC patients, stratifying them into two groups according to their change in Alb-dNLR (∆Alb-dNLR) values, using an optimal cut-off point: a low ∆Alb-dNLR group (≤ 0.90) and a high ∆Alb-dNLR group (> 0.90). The prognostic significance of ∆Alb-dNLR was evaluated using a Cox proportional hazards model. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 75.2% in the low ∆Alb-dNLR group (≤ 0.90) and 85.9% in the high ∆Alb-dNLR group (>0.90) (P < 0.001). The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 71.2% and 80.6%, respectively (P = 0.016). Multivariate analyses demonstrated that both ∆Alb-dNLR and pre-Alb-dNLR were independent prognostic factors for OS (P ≤ 0.001), while ∆Alb-dNLR was demonstrated as an independent prognostic factor for DFS (P = 0.016). A predictive nomogram, incorporating the ∆Alb-dNLR subgroup, demonstrated enhanced performance (concordance index [C-index] of 0.720 for OS and 0.690 for DFS) compared to the pre-treatment Alb-dNLR subgroup (C-index of 0.700 for OS and of 0.680 for DFS). Therefore, ∆Alb-dNLR shows significant potential as a usable and prognostic biomarker for predicting OS and DFS in LARC patients undergoing nCRT.

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) can effectively collect low-frequency, disordered mechanical energy and are therefore widely studied in the field of ocean energy collection. Most of the rotary TENGs studied so far tend to have insufficient rotation, resulting in slow charge transfer rates in low-frequency ocean environments. For this reason, in this paper, we propose a wind-wave synergistic triboelectric nanogenerator (WWS-TENG). It is different from the traditional rotary TENGs based on free-standing mode in that its power generation unit has two types of rotors, and the two rotors rotate in opposite directions under the action of wind energy and wave energy, respectively. This type of exercise can more effectively collect energy. The WWS-TENG has demonstrated excellent performance in sea wind and wave energy harvesting. In the simulated ocean environment, the peak power can reach 13.5 mW under simulated wind-wave superposition excitation; the output of the WWS-TENG increased by 49% compared to single-wave power generation. The WWS-TENG proposal provides a novel means of developing marine renewable energy, and it also demonstrates broad application potential in the field of the self-powered marine Internet of Things (IoT).

This paper proposes a wind-speed-adaptive resonant piezoelectric energy harvester for offshore wind energy collection (A-PEH). The device incorporates a coil spring structure, which sets the maximum threshold of the output rotational frequency, allowing the A-PEH to maintain a stable output rotational frequency over a broader range of wind speeds. When the maximum output excitation frequency of the A-PEH falls within the sub-resonant range of the piezoelectric beam, the device becomes wind-speed-adaptive, enabling it to operate in a sub-resonant state over a wider range of wind speeds. Offshore winds exhibit an annual average speed exceeding 5.5 m/s with significant variability. Drawing from the characteristics of offshore winds, a prototype of the A-PEH was fabricated. The experimental findings reveal that in wind speed environments, the device has a startup wind speed of 4 m/s, and operates in a sub-resonant state when the wind speed exceeds 6 m/s. At this point, the A-PEH achieves a maximum open-circuit voltage of 40 V and an average power of 0.64 mW. The wind-speed-adaptive capability of the A-PEH enhances its ability to harness offshore wind energy, showcasing its potential applications in offshore wind environments.

Abstract Objective To update the systematic review of radiomics in osteosarcoma. Methods PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data were searched to identify articles on osteosarcoma radiomics until May 15, 2022. The studies were assessed by Radiomics Quality Score (RQS), Transparent Reporting of a multivariable prediction model for Individual Prognosis Or Diagnosis (TRIPOD) statement, Checklist for Artificial Intelligence in Medical Imaging (CLAIM), and modified Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool. The evidence supporting radiomics application for osteosarcoma was rated according to meta-analysis results. Results Twenty-nine articles were included. The average of the ideal percentage of RQS, the TRIPOD adherence rate and the CLAIM adherence rate were 29.2%, 59.2%, and 63.7%, respectively. RQS identified a radiomics-specific issue of phantom study. TRIPOD addressed deficiency in blindness of assessment. CLAIM and TRIPOD both pointed out shortness in missing data handling and sample size or power calculation. CLAIM identified extra disadvantages in data de-identification and failure analysis. External validation and open science were emphasized by all the above three tools. The risk of bias and applicability concerns were mainly related to the index test. The meta-analysis of radiomics predicting neoadjuvant chemotherapy response by MRI presented a diagnostic odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 28.83 (10.27–80.95) on testing datasets and was rated as weak evidence. Conclusions The quality of osteosarcoma radiomics studies is insufficient. More investigation is needed before using radiomics to optimize osteosarcoma treatment. CLAIM is recommended to guide the design and reporting of radiomics research.

Background: The goal of “peak carbon and carbon neutrality” has pointed out the direction for the digital transformation (DIT) of enterprises. Companies need to pay a price when they seek green development or fulfill environmental responsibility. Out of self-interest, enterprises may exaggerate their environmental performance (EP) and then greenwashing behavior appears. Whether DIT can curb greenwashing behavior is a topic worth discussing.Objective: This paper proposes a theoretical framework for the influence of DIT on greenwashing and further discusses how government subsidies, resource slack, and external pressure affect them. The data of China’s listed A - share companies are used to test this theoretical framework.Methods: In this paper, multiple linear regression method is used to test the theoretical mechanism, and Hausman test and instrumental variable method are used to test the correctness of the conclusions.Results: (1) DIT has an inhibitory effect on greenwashing. (2) Government subsidies, resource slack, and public pressure positively moderate the relationship. (3) The effect of DIT does inhibit symbolic behavior, but the impact on substantive behavior is not obvious. The moderating effects of various variables are also different.Discussion: It is suggested that the government take the lead in building more digital public participation platforms to improve the online monitoring and early warning ability of enterprises’ greenwashing behavior, tourge enterprises to configure more intelligent and digital cleaner production equipment and facilities, and to improve their environmental performance. Local governments are encouraged to seize the trend of enterprises’ digital green transformation, introduce more government subsidy policies for DIT, improve digital infrastructure and digital intellectual property protection, and escort enterprises’ green DIT. The government and the banks should cooperate to give more green preferential loans, tax relief, and other measures to enterprises undergoing green DIT.

In order to solve the problem that the organic working medium of a power generation system is easy to thermal decomposition at medium and high temperature, the waste heat was recovered with the supercritical and transcritical CO2 used in combination on the principle of "appropriate temperature and cascade utilization", and a poly-generation system based on LNG cold energy utilization was established. Herein, the system was simulated by Aspen HYSYS in terms of the process flow and evaluated from the prospective of thermal performance and exergoeconomy. Besides, the effect of main parameters on system performance was analyzed, and on this basis, the multi-objective optimization of system performance was carried out using Matlab. The results show that the reduction of split ratio in supercritical CO2 recompression Brayton cycle and compression ratio in refrigeration cycle can not only improve the system efficiency, but also reduce the average unit cost. In addition, the power generation efficiency, exergy efficiency and average unit cost of the optimized poly-generation system are 55.83%, 52.23% and 16.57 $/GJ, respectively, and the power generation efficiency has been enhanced by 14.05% in comparison to the system integrated with the single supercritical CO2 recompression Brayton cycle. Generally, the research results could provide an application idea for the utilization of LNG cold energy and the recovery of waste heat.

Abstract Alginate oligosaccharide (AOS) has the function to inhibit tumor progression and the sulfated modification can enhance the antitumor activity. To date, the function and mechanism of sulfated AOS (AOS-SO4) in tumors remain largely elusive. We prepared AOS by the enzymatic degradation of alginate, collected AOS-SO4 by sulfating following the canonical procedure. Using these materials, in vitro assays showed that both AOS and AOS-SO4 elicited antitumor effects in osteosarcoma cells. Sulfated modification significantly enhanced the antitumor activity. In addition, AOS-SO4 had obvious effects on cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and autophagy induction in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we observed that AOS-SO4 treatment triggered proapoptotic autophagy by inhibiting MEK1/ERK/mTOR signaling. The ERK activator reversed AOS-SO4-induced autophagy. More importantly, we found that KSR1 interacted with MEK1 and functioned as a positive regulator of MEK1 protein in osteosarcoma cells. High KSR1 expression was significantly associated with poor survival in osteosarcoma patients. Together, these results suggest that AOS-SO4 has a better antitumor effect in osteosarcoma by inhibiting MEK1/ERK/mTOR signaling, which is KSR1-dependent; thus, AOS-SO4 can be a new potential therapeutic candidate for the treatment of osteosarcoma.

Demodulation methods play a critical role in achieving high-performance interferometric fiber-optic temperature sensors. However, the conventional passive 3 × 3 coupler demodulation method overlooks certain issues, such as the non-1:1:1 splitting ratio of the coupler, resulting in a non-ideal phase difference in the three output interference signals. These problems significantly impact the measurement results of interferometric temperature sensors. In this paper, we propose a novel arc-tangent method based on a 3 × 3 coupler and a demodulation algorithm combining long short-term memory (LSTM) with an artificial bee colony (ABC). The arc-tangent method is employed to enhance the input phase signal of the ABC-LSTM network model and establish a nonlinear mapping between the phase signal and temperature, effectively preventing the influence of the spectral ratio and phase difference of the 3 × 3 coupler on temperature demodulation. The proposed ABC-LSTM method achieves high-resolution measurements with an interval of 0.10 °C, and the absolute error is below 0.0040 °C within the temperature range of 25.00–25.50 °C. To demonstrate the stability and adaptability of the proposed method under long-term constant temperature conditions, we conducted measurements for approximately three hours in a controlled temperature environment set at 25.00 °C. Experimental results indicate that the maximum error of LSTM-ABC method remains around 0.0040 °C, outperforming the conventional algorithm (0.0095 °C). Furthermore, when comparing the average error values of the conventional passive 3 × 3 coupler method (0.0023 °C), LSTM model (0.0019 °C), and ABC-LSTM model (0.0014 °C), it is evident that the demodulation results of the ABC-LSTM method exhibit the highest level of stability. Therefore, the ABC-LSTM method enhances the accuracy and reliability of interferometric fiber-optic temperature-sensing systems.

Nanotechnologies are being increasingly widely used in advanced energy fields. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) represent a class of new-type flexible energy-harvesting devices with promising application prospects in future human societies. As one of the most important parts of TENG devices, triboelectric materials play key roles in the achievement of high-efficiency power generation. Conventional polymer tribo-negative materials, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), and the standard polyimide (PI) film with the Kapton® trademark based on pyromellitic anhydride (PMDA) and 4,4′-oxydianiline (ODA), usually suffer from low output performance. In addition, the relationship between molecular structure and triboelectric properties remains a challenge in the search for novel triboelectric materials. In the current work, by incorporating functional groups of trifluoromethyl (–CF3) with strong electron withdrawal into the backbone, a series of fluorine-containing polyimide (FPI) negative friction layers have been designed and prepared. The derived FPI-1 (6FDA-6FODA), FPI-2 (6FDA-TFMB), and FPI-3 (6FDA-TFMDA) resins possessed good solubility in polar aprotic solvents, such as the N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). The PI films obtained via the solution-casting procedure showed glass transition temperatures (Tg) higher than 280 °C with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses. The TENG prototypes were successfully fabricated using the developed PI films as the tribo-negative layers. The electron-withdrawing trifluoromethyl (–CF3) units in the molecular backbones of the PI layers provided the devices with an apparently enhanced output performance. The FPI-3 (6FDA-TFMDA) layer-based TENG devices showcased an especially impressive open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current, measuring 277.8 V and 9.54 μA, respectively. These values were 4~5 times greater when compared to the TENGs manufactured using the readily accessible Kapton® film.

Polyimide (PI) optical films with high glass transition temperatures (high-Tg), high optical transparency, and low optical retardations (low-Rth) are highly desired in advanced optoelectronic applications. However, the standard PI films usually suffer from deep colors, high optical anisotropies and limited Tg values. In the current work, a series of semi-alicyclic colorless and transparent PI (CPI) films were developed from hydrogenated pyromellitic dianhydride stereoisomers, 1S,2R,4S,5R-hydrogenated pyromellitic dianhydride and 1R,2S,4S,5R-hydrogenated pyromellitic dianhydride, and fluorene-containing diamines, including 9,9-bis(4-aminophenyl)fluorene and 9,9-bis(3-fluoro-4-aminophenyl)fluorene, respectively. The derived CPI films showed Tg values higher than 420 °C according to differential scanning calorimetry measurements. In addition, the fluorene-based CPI film showed optical transmittances higher than 80% at the wavelength of 400 nm, with yellow indices in the range of 0.60~1.01 and haze values below 3.0%. The CPI films showed average refractive indices from 1.5407 to 1.6309, extremely low birefringence at the level of minus fourth power of ten, and further exhibited quite low optical retardations below 10 nm.

BackgroundAnastomotic leakage (AL) is a major cause of postoperative morbidity and mortality in the treatment of colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the resection of “dog-ears” in laparoscopic anterior resection of rectal cancer (called modified double-stapling technique, MDST) could reduce the rate of AL in patients with middle and high rectal cancer, as compared with the conventional double-stapling technique (DST).MethodsThe clinical data of 232 patients with middle and high rectal cancer were prospectively collected from September 2015 to October 2018. They were randomly divided into the MDST group (n = 116) and the DST group (n = 116) and the data were prospectively analyzed. Morbidity and AL rate were compared between the two groups.ResultsPatient demographics, tumor size, and time of first flatus were similar between the two groups. No difference was observed in the operation time between the two groups. The AL rate was significantly lower in the MDST group than in the DST group (3.4 vs. 11.2%, p = 0.032). The age and anastomotic technique were the factors associated with AL according to the multivariate analysis. The location of the AL in the DST group was further investigated, revealing that AL was in the same place as the “dog-ears” (11/13, 84.6%).ConclusionsOur prospective comparative study demonstrated that MDST have a better short-term outcome in reducing AL compared with DST. Therefore, this technique could be an alternative approach to maximize the benefit of laparoscopic anterior resection on patients with middle and high rectal cancer. The “dog-ears” create stapled corners potentially ischemic, since they represent the area with high incidence of AL.(NCT:02770911)

BackgroundOccupational noise is one of the most common and prevalent occupational hazards worldwide and may induce adverse auditory and/or non-auditory health effects. However, the relationship between occupational noise exposure and hypertension is controversial and has long been debated.MethodsBased on large sample cross-sectional data from all registered occupational health examination units from 2021 to 2022 (N = 101,605), this study aimed to analyze the prevalence of hearing loss and hypertension and to explore the influencing factors of hypertension of workers in Wuhan. Descriptive statistics, univariate analyses and multivariate analyses were used. Forest plot and nomograms were constructed for the visualization of predictive results. The ROC curve, AUC, C-index and calibration curves were used to assess the predictive accuracy and validity. DCA was performed to evaluate the net benefit that workers could receive.ResultsHigher rate of high-frequency hearing loss (25.3%), speech frequency hearing loss (8.8%), ECG abnormalities (31.9%) and hypertension (21.0%) were found in workers exposed to occupational noise in Wuhan. Occupational noise exposure (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.01–1.18, p = 0.04), growth of age (OR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.07–1.07, p < 0.001), overweight (OR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.73–1.92, p < 0.001), obesity (OR: 3.62, 95% CI: 3.42–3.83, p < 0.001), hyperglycemia (OR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.73–1.96, p < 0.001), hypercholesterolemia (OR = 1.34; 95% CI 1.22–1.48; p < 0.001), ECG abnormalities (OR = 1.11; 95% CI 1.07–1.15; p < 0.001) and family history of hypertension (OR = 1.69; 95% CI 1.58–1.81; p < 0.001) were risk factors of hypertension for workers. Male workers had a relatively higher hypertension risk than female workers (OR = 1.61; 95% CI 1.54–1.69; p < 0.001). Ear protective measures could not reduce the risk of hypertension in workers. Our nomogram has good predictive accuracy and validity. A dynamic nomogram to predict the workers' risk of hypertension was established publicly available online.ConclusionOccupational noise exposure may elevate workers' hypertension risk. More effective and relevant prevention measures should be taken. Our nomogram may help identify high-risk workers and facilitate timely interventions.

In this work, 4-diethylamino-2-butanol (DEAB) as a new type of alkanolamine solvent is used for CO2 capture in a hollow fiber membrane contactor (HFMC). A model describing the gas and liquid reactions and transport inside the membrane contactor under the wetting or non-wetting conditions was built. The countercurrent flow of natural gas and solvent was considered in the model. To investigate the influence of solvent type on decarburization efficiency, DEAB was used and compared with other common solvents such as potassium carbonate (K2CO3), triethylamine (TEA) and diethanolamine (DEA). Under the same operating conditions, the impact of parameters such as humidity, gas flow rate, liquid concentration, membrane length on the decarburization performance was examined. The results indicate that DEAB solvent had the best overall performance especially under the wetting conditions. It was noted that increasing liquid concentration, membrane length and decreasing gas flow rate enhanced decarburization.

Abstract Giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB) is an aggressive osteolytic bone tumor characterized by the within-tumor presence of osteoclast-like multinucleated giant cells (MGCs), which are induced by the neoplastic stromal cells and lead to extensive bone destruction. However, the underlying mechanism of the pathological process of osteoclastogenesis in GCTB is poorly understood. Here we show that the proteoglycan Serglycin (SRGN) secreted by neoplastic stromal cells plays a crucial role in the formation of MGCs and tumorigenesis in GCTB. Upregulated SRGN expression and secretion are observed in GCTB tumor cells and patients. Stromal-derived SRGN promotes osteoclast differentiation from monocytes. SRGN knockdown in stromal cells inhibits tumor growth and bone destruction in a patient-derived orthotopic xenograft model of mice. Mechanistically SRGN interacts with CD44 on the cell surface of monocytes and thus activates focal adhesion kinase (FAK), leading to osteoclast differentiation. Importantly, blocking CD44 with a neutralizing antibody reduces the number of MGCs and suppresses tumorigenesis in vivo. Overall, our data reveal a mechanism of MGC induction in GCTB and support CD44-targeting approaches for GCTB treatment.

Mucormycosis caused by Lichtheimia ramosa is an emerging and uncommon opportunistic infection in patients with hematological malignancies, with high mortality rates. Herein, we first report a case of pulmonary mucormycosis with Lichtheimia ramosa in a 3-year-old girl recently diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The diagnosis was made using computerized tomography of the lung, metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of blood and sputum specimens, and microscopic examination to detect the development of Lichtheimia ramosa on the surgical specimen. She was effectively treated after receiving prompt treatment with amphotericin B and posaconazole, followed by aggressive surgical debridement. In our case, the fungal isolates were identified as Lichtheimia ramosa using mNGS, which assisted clinicians in quickly and accurately diagnosing and initiating early intensive treatment. This case also indicated the importance of strong clinical suspicion, as well as aggressive antifungal therapy combined with surgical debridement of affected tissues.

Light-colored and transparent polyimide (PI) films with good high-temperature dimensional stability are highly desired for advanced optoelectronic applications. However, in practice, the simultaneous achievement of good optical and thermal properties in one PI film is usually difficult due to the inter-conflicting molecular design of the polymers. In the present work, a series of PI-SiO2 nanocomposite films (ABTFCPI) were developed based on the PI matrix derived from hydrogenated pyromellitic anhydride (HPMDA) and an aromatic diamine containing benzanilide and trifluoromethyl substituents in the structure, 2,2′-bis(trifluoromethyl)-4,4′-bis [4-(4-aminobenzamide)]biphenyl (ABTFMB). The inorganic SiO2 fillers were incorporated into the nanocomposite films in the form of colloidal nanoparticles dispersed in the good solvent of N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) for the PI matrix. The derived ABTFCPI nanocomposite films showed good film-forming ability, flexible and tough nature, good optical transparency, and good thermal properties with loading amounts of SiO2 up to 30 wt% in the system. The ABTFCPI-30 film with a SiO2 content of 30 wt% in the film showed an optical transmittance of 79.6% at the wavelength of 400 nm (T400) with a thickness of 25 μm, yellow index (b*) of 2.15, and 5% weight loss temperatures (T5%) of 491 °C, which are all comparable to those the pristine ABTFCPI-0 matrix without filler (T400 = 81.8%; b* = 1.77; T5% = 492 °C). Meanwhile, the ABTFCPI-30 film exhibited obviously enhanced high-temperature dimensional stability with linear coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) of 25.4 × 10−6/K in the temperature range of 50 to 250 °C, which is much lower than that of the AMTFCPI-0 film (CTE = 32.7 × 10−6/K).

This paper presents a type of prefabricated concrete wall panel building system with novel flexible alveolar-type joints, which has the advantages of fast assembly and controllable quality. Seven alveolar-type joint specimens were designed and fabricated to investigate the influence of the axial compression ratio, the size of the joint (in the interface contact area), and the strength of the mortar on the joints’ performance. The shear–slip constitutive model of the alveolar-type joints was established on this basis. The accuracy of the constitutive model was verified by comparing two full-scale loading tests with the exact finite element analysis model of ABAQUS. A finite element model of a multi-story apartment building was established by using the aforementioned shear–slip constitutive model; thus, the simplified analysis method for the prefabricated concrete wall panel building structure with alveolar-type joints was proposed. It was concluded that increasing the axial compression ratio, mortar strength, and size of the joints could increase the shear-bearing capacity by different degrees and that the 50 mm depth joint could increase the capacity by 18.6%. The proposed shear–slip constitutive model simulated the interface mechanism well by comparing the test results. Furthermore, the simplified analytical methods of the integral structure were in good agreement with the FEA results.

Abstract Background Expression of the long non-coding mRNA LINC00152 has been reported to correlate with cancer cell resistance to oxaliplatin (L-OHP). However, little is known regarding the molecular mechanism of LINC00152 in esophageal cancer (EC). Hence, we intended to characterize the role of LINC00152 in EC, with a special focus on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and L-OHP resistance. Methods We collected EC tissues and identified EC cell lines with higher L-OHP resistance, and then characterized expression patterns of LINC00152, Zeste Homologue 2 (EZH2), Zinc finger e-box binding homeobox (ZEB1) and EMT-related genes using RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis. Furthermore, their functional significance was identified by gain and loss-of-function experiments. The relationship among LINC00152, EZH2 and ZEB1 was examined using RIP, RNA pull-down and ChIP assays. Additionally, resistance of EC cells to L-OHP was reflected by CCK-8 assay to detect cell viability. Animal experiments were also conducted to detect the effects of the LINC00152/EZH2/ZEB1 on EMT and L-OHP resistance. Results LINC00152, EZH2 and ZEB1 were highly expressed in EC tissues and Kyse−150/TE-1 cells. As revealed by assays in vitro and in vivo, LINC00152 positively regulated ZEB1 expression through interaction with EZH2 to enhance EMT and L-OHP resistance in EC cells. In contrast, silencing of LINC00152 contributed to attenuated EMT and drug resistance of EC cells to L-OHP. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that LINC00152/EZH2/ZEB1 axis can regulate EMT and resistance of EC cells to L-OHP, thus presenting a potential therapeutic target for EC treatment.

Abstract Background Esophageal cancer (EC) represents one of the most aggressive digestive neoplasms globally, with marked geographical variations in morbidity and mortality. Chemoprevention is a promising approach for cancer therapy, while acquired chemoresistance is a major obstacle impeding the success of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy in EC, with the mechanisms underlying resistance not well-understood. In the present study, we focus on exploring the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) HOTAIR in EC progression and sensitivity of EC cells to 5-FU. Methods Paired cancerous and pre-cancerous tissues surgically resected from EC patients were collected in this study. Promoter methylation of the MTHFR was assessed by methylation-specific PCR. RIP and ChIP assays were adopted to examine the interaction of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) with lncRNA HOTAIR and MTHFR, respectively. EC cells resistant to 5-FU were induced by step-wise continuous increasing concentrations of 5-FU. The sensitivity of EC cells to 5-FU in vivo was evaluated in nude mice treated with xenografts of EC cells followed by injection with 5-FU (i.p.). Results We found reciprocal expression patterns of lncRNA HOTAIR and MTHFR in EC tissues and human EC cells. Interference with lncRNA HOTAIR enhanced 5-FU-induced apoptosis, exhibited anti-proliferative activity, and reduced promoter methylation of the MTHFR in EC cells. Besides, overexpression of MTHFR attenuated the acquired chemoresistance induced by overexpression of lncRNA HOTAIR in EC cells. At last, enhanced chemosensitivity was observed in vivo once nude mice xenografted with lncRNA HOTAIR-depleted EC cells. Conclusion Together, our study proposes that pharmacologic targeting of lncRNA HOTAIR sensitizes EC cells to 5-FU-based chemotherapy by attenuating the promoter hypermethylation of the MTHFR in EC.

Phosphate concentration in natural water has been used as a water quality indicator, as it is one of the major nutrients for aquatic plants. However, the traditional phosphomolybdenum blue (PMB) method has limited sensitivity for visual or camera-based detection, leading to underestimation of the phosphate concentration. We present an ultralow-cost, rapid field preconcentration and digital image colorimetric sensing of low-concentration phosphate method for water analysis. A novel hand-powered paper centrifuge (paperfuge) is used for sample preparation and preconcentration. This paperfuge is made of two circular paper discs and a string. Six centrifuge tubes (CTs) originally used as glue dispensing tips with a sample capacity of ∼230 μL, are loaded on the paperfuge. After sampling, phosphate in the water sample is reacted to form PMB. Then, the reacted sample is drawn into a CT using an autopipette before the CT bottom is sealed by glue. After Oasis® HLB sorbents are added through the top of the CT, the CT top is also sealed with glue. The HLB sorbents adsorb PMB and are accumulated in the CT tip through centrifugation. The CT tips are cut and analyzed with the ImageJ software. It was found that the blue color intensity of sorbents is in a linear relationship to the phosphate concentration, with a linear range of 0–5 μM (r2 = 0.9921) and limit of detection of 0.19 μM. In addition, this method has been applied to in-field water analysis. The results are in agreement with the standard PMB method.

To prolong the serve life of roller element bearings (REB) and improve the reliability of mechanical system, the tribological behavior of the “washers-cage-rollers” system of grooves textured thrust cylindrical roller bearings (TCRB, 81107TN) under dry wear was researched. The pattern parameters include: width of grooves (WOG, 50, 100, and 150 μm), depth of grooves (DPOG, 7, 11, and 15 μm), as well as groove deflection angle (GDA, 0°, 45°, 90°, and 135°). The influence mechanism of grooves on the tribological properties of REBs is discussed. The results show that: As the GDA is 45°, the coefficient of friction (COF) and mass loss of bearing is the lowest among four angles. The average COFs of grooves textured bearings are much higher than that of smooth one, and their mass losses are all lower than that of smooth bearing. The influence of pattern parameters on the surface stresses of grooves textured bearings is weak. In this work, when the WOG is 50 μm and the DPOG is 7 μm, the wear loss of grooves textured bearing is the lowest, reduced by up to 75.6%. This work can provide a valuable reference for the raceway design and optimization of REBs.

In this paper, a dual-axis Fabry–Pérot (FP) accelerometer assembled on single optical fiber is proposed. The sensor is equipped with a special beam-splitting prism to split the light into two perpendicular directions (the X- and Y-axes); the prism surface coated with semi-permeable film and the reflective sheet on the corresponding Be-Cu vibration-sensitive spring form two sets of FP cavities of different sizes. When the Be-Cu spring with a proof mass (PM) is subjected to the vibration signal, the cavity length of the corresponding FP cavity is changed and the interference signal returns to the collimator through the original path of the prism. After bandpass filtering and demodulation, the two cavity lengths are obtained, and the acceleration measurement in dual-axis directions is completed. The resonant frequency of the proposed dual-axis fiber optic accelerometer is around 280 Hz. The results of the spectral measurements show 3.93 μm/g (g = 9.8 m/s2: gravity constant) and 4.19 μm/g for the applied acceleration along the X- and Y-axes, respectively, and the cross-axis sensitivity is below 5.1%. Within the angle range of 180°, the maximum error of measured acceleration is less than 3.77%. The proposed fiber optic dual-axis FP accelerometer has high sensitivity and strong immunity to electromagnetic interference. The size of the sensor mainly depends on the size of the prism, which is easy to reduce and mass produce. Moreover, this FP construction method has high flexibility and development potential.

Wholly aromatic polyimide (PI) films with good solution processability, light colors, good optical transparency, high storage modulus, and improved heat resistance were prepared and characterized. For this purpose, a multi-component copolymerization methodology was performed from a fluoro-containing dianhydride, 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride (6FDA), a rigid dianhydride, 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA), and a fluoro-containing diamine, 2,2′-bis(trifluoromethyl)-4,4′-bis [4-(4-amino-3-methyl)benzamide]biphenyl (MABTFMB). One homopolymer, FPI-1 (6FDA-MABTFMB), and five copolymers, FPI-2~FPI-6, containing the BPDA units from 10 mol% to 50 mol% in the dianhydride moieties, were prepared, respectively. The derived PI resins showed good solubility in the polar aprotic solvents, such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc). The flexible PI films obtained by the solution casting procedure showed good optical properties with the transmittances higher than 74.0% at the wavelength of 450 nm. The PI films exhibited excellent thermal properties, including 5% weight loss temperatures (T5%) over 510 °C, together with glass transition temperatures (Tg) over 350.0 °C according to the peak temperatures of the loss modulus in dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA) measurements. The FPI-6 film also showed the lowest linear coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) value of 23.4 × 10−6/K from 50 to 250 °C according to the thermomechanical analysis (TMA) measurements, which was obviously lower than that of FPI-1 (CTE = 30.6 × 10−6/K).

Negative photosensitive polyimides (PSPIs) with the photo-patterned ability via the photocrosslinking reactions induced by the i-line (365 nm) and h-line (426 nm) emitting wavelengths in high-pressure mercury lamps have been paid increasing attention in semiconductor fabrication, optical fiber communications, and other advanced optoelectronic areas. In the current work, in view of the optical and thermo-mechanical disadvantages of the currently used negative PSPIs, such as the intrinsically photosensitive or auto-photosensitive systems derived from 3,3’,4,4’-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) and the ortho-alkyl- substituted aromatic diamines, a series of modified negative PSPIs with the enhanced optical transparency in the wavelength of 365~436 nm and apparently reduced coefficients of linear thermal expansion (CTE) were developed. For this purpose, a specific aromatic diamine with both of trifluoromethyl and benzanilide units in the molecular structures, 2,2’-bis(trifluoromethyl)-4,4’-bis[4-(4-amino-3-methyl)benzamide]biphenyl (MABTFMB) was copolymerized with BTDA and the standard 3,3’,5,5’-tetramethyl-4,4’-diaminodiphenylmethane (TMMDA) diamine via a two-step chemical imidization procedure. As compared with the pristine PI-1 (BTDA-TMMDA) system, the new-developed fluoro-containing PSPI systems (FPI-2~FPI-7) exhibited the same-level solubility in polar aprotic solvents, including N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and N,N- dimethylacetamide (DMAc). The FPI films cast from the corresponding FPI solutions in NMP showed the optical transmittances of 78.3–81.3% at the wavelength of 436 nm (T436, h-line), which were much higher than that of the PI-1 (T436 = 60.9%). The FPI films showed the CTE values in the range of 40.7 × 10−6/K to 54.0 × 10−6/K in the temperature range of 50 to 250 °C, which were obviously lower than that of PI-1 (CTE = 56.5 × 10−6/K). At last, the photosensitivity of the FPI systems was maintained and the micro-pattern with the line width of 10 μm could be clearly obtained via the standard photolithography process of FPI-7 with the molar ratio of 50% for MABTFMB in the diamine moiety.

The formation of polymeric micro-patterns on various substrates via a photolithography procedure has been widely used in semiconductor fabrication. Standard polymer patterns are usually fabricated via photosensitive polymer varnishes, in which large amounts of potentially harmful solvents with weight ratios over 50 wt% have to be removed. In the current work, a novel pattern-formation methodology via solvent-free electrospun photosensitive polymeric fibrous membranes (NFMs) instead of the conventional photosensitive solutions as the starting photoresists was proposed and practiced. For this purpose, a series of preimidized negative auto-photosensitive polyimide (PSPI) resins were first prepared via the two-step chemical imidization procedure from the copolymerization reactions of 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenonetetracarboxylic- dianhydride (BTDA) and two ortho-methyl-substituted aromatic diamines, including 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethyl-4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane (TMMDA) and 3,7-diamino-2,8-dimethyl- dibenzothiophene sulfone (TSN). The derived homopolymer PI-1 (BTDA-TMMDA) and the copolymers, including SPI-2~SPI-6, with the molar ratio of 5~25% for TSN in the diamine units, showed good solubility in polar solvents. Then, a series of PSPI NFMs were fabricated via standard electrospinning procedure with the developed PSPI solutions in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) with a solid content of 25 wt% as the starting materials. The derived PSPI NFMs showed good thermal stability with 5% weight loss temperatures higher than 500 °C in nitrogen. Meanwhile, the derived PSPIs showed good photosensitivity to the ultraviolet (UV) emitting wavelengths of i-line (365 nm), g-line (405 nm) and h-line (436 nm) of the high-pressure mercury lamps in both forms of transparent films and opaque NFMs. Fine micro-patterns with a line width of around 100 μm were directly obtained from the representative SPI-4 NFM via standard photolithography procedure.

Prediction of remaining useful life (RUL) is greatly significant for improving the safety and reliability of manufacturing equipment. However, in real industry, it is difficult for RUL prediction models trained on a small sample of faults to obtain satisfactory accuracy. To overcome this drawback, this paper presents a long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network with transfer learning and ensemble learning and combines it with an unsupervised health indicator (HI) construction method for remaining-useful-life prediction. This study consists of the following parts: (1) utilizing the characteristics of deep belief networks and self-organizing map networks to translate raw sensor data to a synthetic HI that can effectively reflect system health; and (2) introducing transfer learning and ensemble learning to provide the required degradation mechanism for the RUL prediction model based on LSTM to improve the performance of the model. The performance of the proposed method is verified by two bearing datasets collected from experimental data, and the results show that the proposed method obtains better performance than comparable methods.

Polymeric ultrafine fibrous membranes (UFMs) with high thermal stability and high whiteness are highly desired in modern optoelectronic applications. A series of fluoro-containing polyimide (FPI) UFMs with high whiteness, good thermal stability, and good hydrophobicity were prepared via a one-step electrospinning procedure from the organo-soluble FPI resins derived from a fluoro-containing dianhydride, 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphthalic anhydride (6FDA), and various diamines containing either pendant trifluoromethyl (–CF3) groups or alicyclic units in the side chains. The obtained FPI UFMs, including FPI-1 from 6FDA and 3,5-diaminobenzotrifluoride (TFMDA), FPI-2 from 6FDA and 2′-trifluoromethyl-3,4′-oxydianiline (3FODA), FPI-3 from 6FDA and 1,4-bis[(4-amino-2-trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]benzene (6FAPB), FPI-4 from 4,4′-bis[(4-amino-2-trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]biphenyl (6FBAB), and FPI-5 from 6FDA and 4′-tert-butyl-cyclohexyl-3,5-diaminobenzoate (DABC) showed whiteness indices (WI) higher than 87.00 and optical reflectance values higher than 80% at the wavelength of 457 nm (R457), respectively. The FPI-5 UFM, especially, showed the highest WI of 92.88. Meanwhile, the prepared PI UFMs exhibited good hydrophobic features with water contact angles (WCA) higher than 105°. At last, the PI UFMs exhibited good thermal stability with glass transition temperatures (Tg) higher than 255 °C, and the 5% weight-loss temperatures (T5%) higher than 510 °C in nitrogen.

The environmental and energy crisis has become a problem that can not be ignored in today’s world and improving the proportion of renewable energy utilization is an important way to alleviate the problem. China has begun to vigorously develop rooftop photovoltaic systems, and it is urgent to analyze the photovoltaic potential of the country. In this paper, GIS technology is used to calculate the available area of a PV system on the roof of urban buildings in China. The installed capacity and annual power generation of a PV system on the roof of urban buildings in China are further calculated, and the investment cost analysis of the buildings with a PV system is carried out. The results show that Chinese mainland city rooftop photovoltaic area has reached 3.35 billion m2. If urban roofs are used for photovoltaic power generation in China, the annual photovoltaic power generation capacity will be 672 billion kWh, which is about 61% of the total annual electricity consumption of the whole society in 2020. On the other hand, the initial investment in the construction of an urban photovoltaic system is large, but most of them can realize the return of investment in a short period of 8–10 years. Moreover, in the effective life of the follow-up photovoltaic system, it will bring greater economic benefits, which is more than two times the initial investment. To further promote the process of social carbon peak and carbon neutrality in China, the construction of an urban photovoltaic system is very feasible.

The pharmaceutical tablet manufacturing process (PTMP) via wet granulation holds a critical position in pharmaceutical industry. The interest in integrating mechanistic process modeling into the pharmaceutical development has been increased because simulation model is a prerequisite for process design, analysis, control, and optimization. So the simulation modeling for PTMP via wet granulation is very necessary and significant. This study aims at proposing a simulation modeling framework for PTMP via spray fluidized bed granulation (SFBG), which is one of the most widely used wet granulation techniques in pharmaceutical industry. For SFBG, a simulation model that simultaneously involves the influences of operating variables and material attributes on average particle size (APS) is firstly developed, and then a drying model to determine the particle moisture content is introduced to be coupled with the established model predicting APS. For PTMP, considering the important effect of porosity on tablet qualities, a model describing the changes in tablet porosity is developed based on a promoted form of the Heckel equation, and then several recognized models that are all related to porosity are introduced or constructed to calculate important tablet quality indexes. The feasibility and effectiveness of the developed simulation models are validated by performing a computational experimental study to explore the scientific understanding of process and process quality control.

In recent years, gas–liquid membrane contactors have attracted increasing attention. A membrane contactor is a device that realizes gas–liquid or liquid–liquid mass transfer without being dispersed in another phase. The membrane gas absorption method combines the advantages of chemical absorption and membrane separation, in addition to exhibiting high selectivity, modularity, and compactness. This paper introduces the operating principle and wetting mechanism of hollow membrane contactors, shows the latest research progress of membrane contactors in gas separation, especially for the removal of carbon dioxide from gas mixtures by membrane contactors, and summarizes the main aspects of membrane materials, absorbents, and membrane contactor structures. Furthermore, recommendations are provided for the existing deficiencies or unsolved problems (such as membrane wetting), and the status and progress of membrane contactors are discussed.

There is a strong correlation between the geometry of the weld pool surface and the degree of penetration in arc welding. To measure the geometry of the weld pool surface robustly, many structured light laser line based monitoring systems have been proposed in recent years. The geometry of the specular weld pool could be computed from the reflected laser lines based on different principles. The prerequisite of accurate computation of the weld pool surface is to segment the reflected laser lines robustly and efficiently. To find the most effective segmentation solutions for the images captured with different welding parameters, different image processing algorithms are combined to form eight approaches and these approaches are compared both qualitatively and quantitatively in this paper. In particular, the gradient detection filter, the difference method and the GLCM (grey level co-occurrence matrix) are used to remove the uneven background. The spline fitting enhancement method is used to remove the fuzziness. The slope difference distribution-based threshold selection method is used to segment the laser lines from the background. Both qualitative and quantitative experiments are conducted to evaluate the accuracy and the efficiency of the proposed approaches extensively.

Based on the investigation of the filtered key stream generator family F-FCSR using feedback with carry shift register(FCSR)as components,especially the reason what makes F-FCSR-Hv2 key stream generator failed,a dynamic filtered generator named DF-FCSR-8 was presented.This generator avoids Hell-Johansson attack and its key stream sequences can pass the test of NIST's suit STS.Finally,it can also resist many other attacks.