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Molecular dynamics simulations were used to analyze the mechanical properties and failure processes of poly(p-phenylene-terephthalamide) (PPTA), poly(p-phenylene-benzimidazole-terephthalamide) (PBIA), PBIA–PPTA (formed by 1:1 copolymerization of PPTA and PBIA), and poly(p-phenylene-benzobisoxazole) (PBO) crystals at different strain rates and temperatures. The failure stress and strain were found to be linear with the temperature and logarithmic strain rate. Moreover, based on the kinetic theory of fracture and the comprehensive simulation results, we formulated a model that describes the failure stress of the aforementioned crystals under varying strain rates and temperatures. Through the analysis of the failure process, we found that in PPTA, PBIA, and PBIA–PPTA crystals, the bond failure probability is correlated with the strain rate and temperature. The examination of bond lengths and angles unveiled that bonds with larger initial aligning angles are more susceptible to failure during the strain process. Intriguingly, the stretching process induced a conformational change in the PBO molecular chain, leading to a deviation from the linear relation in its stress–strain curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Confined liquid crystals (LCs) exhibit complex and intriguing structures, which are fascinating fundamental problems in soft matter. The helical structure of cylindrical cavities is of great importance in LC studies, particularly for their application in optical devices. In this study, we employ molecular dynamics simulations to explore the behavior of achiral smectic-B LCs confined in narrow cylindrical cavities, where geometric frustration plays an important role. By increasing the cylinder size, LCs exhibit a transition from multi-helical to layered structures. Notably, we observe two stable structures, namely the helical structure and the layered structure, at moderate cylinder size. We also investigate the effects of the arrangement of cylindrical wall particles (hexagonal or square array) and anchoring strength on the LC structure. Our findings reveal that both the hexagonal array and strong anchoring strength promote the formation of helical structures. Our study provides novel insights into the confinement physics of LCs and highlights the potential for achieving helical structures in achiral LCs, which will expand the future applications of LCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonlinear feedback between the gauge field and the material field can yield novel quantum phenomena. Here, the interplay between a density-dependent artificial gauge field and Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) trapped in an optical lattice is studied. The energy spectrum and superfluidity represented by energetic and dynamical stabilities of the system are systematically discussed. A density-dependent artificial gauge field with a back-action between the BECs dynamics and the gauge field induces an effective atomic interaction that depends on the quasi-momentum and density of the condensates, resulting in a symmetry-broken energy spectrum and exotic stability phase diagram, that is, the system is only stable in a certain range of atoms density and under a limited lattice strength. The density-dependent artificial gauge field changes the sequence for the emergence of energetic and dynamical instability and the regimes of the energetic and dynamical instabilities are significantly separated, offering an efficient way to examine the energetic and dynamical instabilities of superfluids separately. In particular, the density-dependent artificial gauge field, as a mechanism for transferring momentum to the fluid, results in dynamic instability of the condensates even in free space. Our results provide deep insights into the dynamical response of superfluid systems to gauge fields and have potential applications for the coherent control of exotic superfluid states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, two high-entropy ceramics, namely (La 0.2 Nd 0.2 Sm 0.2 Eu 0.2 Gd 0.2) 2 Zr 2 O 7 (LaHZ) and (Nd 0.2 Sm 0.2 Eu 0.2 Gd 0.2 Yb 0.2) 2 Zr 2 O 7 (YbHZ), were prepared and investigated, in comparison to La 2 Zr 2 O 7 (LZ). This investigation focused on their interactions with calcium-magnesium-alumina-silicate (CMAS), revealing noteworthy findings. High entropy samples particularly YbHZ exhibit significantly reduced infiltration depths compared to LZ. After CMAS corrosion, the reaction zones of LaHZ and LZ show a similar microstructure characterized by the presence of apatite and fluorite embedded in CMAS residue. In contrast, YbHZ forms a dense and nanoscale dual-phase zirconia (fluorite + pyrochlore) layer, with no visible CMAS residue. The different corrosion behavior is associated with the competition between fluorite and apatite phases, which is strongly related to the ionic radius of RE3+. Apart from the apatite, the formation of a dense and continuous fluorite Ca&RE-ZrO 2 layer could also provide excellent CMAS resistance. These findings provide a viable strategy for designing CMAS-resistant materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjectiveMethodsResultsConclusionAsthma is a common chronic respiratory diseases, and the relationship between pulmonary ventilation function and the prognosis of patients with suspected asthma is not well understood. This study aims to explore the impact of pulmonary ventilation functions on the prognosis of patients with suspected asthma.This retrospective observational study included patients with suspected asthma who were diagnosed and treated at the Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine between August 2015 and January 2020. The primary outcome of interest was improvement in asthma symptoms, as measured by bronchial provocation test (BPT) results within one year after diagnosis. The impact of pulmonary ventilation functions on prognosis was explored by multivariable logistic regression analysis.Seventy-two patients were included in the study. Patients with normal (OR = 0.123, p = .004) or generally normal (OR = 0.075, p = .039) pulmonary ventilation function were more likely to achieve improvement in asthma symptoms compared with patients with mild obstruction. There were no significant differences between the improvement and non-improvement groups in baseline characteristics.These results suggest that suspected asthma patients with normal or generally normal pulmonary ventilation function are more likely to achieve improvement in asthma symptoms within one year compared to patients with mild obstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: PD-L1 PET imaging, as a non-invasive procedure, can perform a real-time, dynamic and quantitative analysis of PD-L1 expression at tumor sites. In this study, we developed a novel peptide-based PET tracer, [68 Ga]Ga-AUNP-12, for preclinical and first-of-its-kind imaging of PD-L1 expression in patients. Methods: Radiosynthesis of [68 Ga]Ga-AUNP-12 was conducted. Assays for cellular uptake and binding were conducted on the PANC02, CT26, and B16F10 cell lines. Preclinical models were used to investigate its biodistribution, imaging capacity, and pharmacokinetics. Furthermore, interferon-γ (IFN-γ) was used for development of an animal model with high PD-L1 expression for targeted PET imaging and efficacy evaluation of PD-L1 blocking therapy. In healthy volunteers and cancer patients, the PD-L1 imaging, radiation dosimetry, safety, and biodistribution were further evaluated. Results: In vitro and in vivo animal studies showed that [68 Ga]Ga-AUNP-12 PET imaging displayed a high specificity in evaluating PD-L1 expression. The radiochemical yield of [68 Ga]Ga-AUNP-12 was 71.7 ± 8.2%. Additionally, its molar activity and radiochemical purity were satisfactory. The B16F10 tumor was visualized with the tumor uptake of 6.86 ± 0.71% ID/g and tumor-to-muscle ratio of 6.83 ± 0.36 at 60 min after [68 Ga]Ga-AUNP-12 injection. Furthermore, [68 Ga]Ga-AUNP-12 PET imaging could sensitively detect the PD-L1 dynamic changes in CT26 tumor xenograft models regulated by IFN-γ treatment, and correspondingly can effectively guide immunotherapy. Regarding radiation dosimetry, [68 Ga]Ga-AUNP-12 is safe for human use. The first human study found that [68 Ga]Ga-AUNP-12 can be rapidly cleared from blood and other nonspecific organs through the kidney excretion, leading to form a clear imaging contrast in the clinical framework. The specificity of [68 Ga]Ga-AUNP-12 was validated and tumor uptake strongly correlated with the high PD-L1 expression in patients with lung adenocarcinoma and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Conclusion: [68 Ga]Ga-AUNP-12 was successfully developed as a PD-L1-specific PET imaging tracer in preclinical and first-in-human studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with most dynamic tests, point load test is widely used in engineering practice because of its wide requirements for test conditions. In offshore mining engineering, the surrounding rock is affected by dynamic load impact and corrosion of various aqueous solutions for a long time. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the influence of hydrochemical corrosion on dynamic mechanical properties of rock to ensure the stability of surrounding rock. In this paper, a large number of dynamic point load and dynamic uniaxial compression tests were carried out on the granite mined from a large mine by using the Split Hopkinson pressure bar test device after the corrosion of pH values of 2, 5, and 7 solutions, respectively. Based on the energy theory, the crushing energy consumption in the test process is analyzed, and finally the fitting formula of the dynamic compressive strength and the crushing energy consumption in the dynamic point load test is obtained through fitting analysis. The results show that when the crushing energy consumption in the dynamic point load test is used to estimate the dynamic compressive strength, a certain crushing energy consumption (the final value of this test is 70 J in this paper) is more accurate, and it can estimate the dynamic compressive strength under various corrosion conditions under this crushing energy consumption. However, with the change of crushing energy consumption in the dynamic point load test, this transformation relationship is no longer accurate, and it is necessary to modify this transformation relationship with corrosion condition as the influencing factor. This conclusion can provide reference for obtaining the dynamic compressive strength of rocks under different corrosion conditions in engineering field in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Whether intraductal carcinoma of the prostate (IDC-P) should be factored into prostate cancer (PCa) Grade Group (GG) has been debated vigorously. While there is currently no study that directly compares the two grading approaches with IDC-P incorporated in or excluded from GG, evidence to date suggests that IDC-P should generally be graded to avoid undergrading and to minimize the overuse of basal cell stains, since >95% of IDC-P represents a high-grade PCa with retrograde spread, which has aggressive biological behavior and is also molecularly akin to high-grade PCa. The only exception to this rule is when IDC-P is present in association with GG1 PCa or in pure form without concomitant PCa, which is a rare scenario and accounts for ~2% of IDC-P. IDC-P in such context could represent a precursor lesion with a prognosis similar to GG1 PCa when diagnosed in radical prostatectomy, and hence should not be included in GG to avoid overgrading. Intraductal carcinoma of the prostate (IDC-P) is a distinct tumor type characterized by an expansile growth of atypical glandular epithelial cells within pre-existing prostate glands and ducts and has significant implications on clinical outcomes and patient management. There is an agreement that isolated IDC-P should not be graded, and IDC-P should be reported with a comment on its clinical significance. However, whether IDC-P should be factored into Grade Group (GG) in the presence of concurrent prostate cancer (PCa) has been debated vigorously. The contradicting opinions were promulgated when the Genitourinary Pathology Society (GUPS) and the International Society of Urological Pathologists (ISUP) published their recommendations for this issue. When IDC-P is present with PCa, the ISUP recommends incorporating it in the GG for the entire case, whereas the GUPS recommends excluding it from the final GG. Consequently, pathologists and clinicians are faced with the conundrum of conflicting recommendations. In this review article, the authors evaluate the magnitude of discrepant GG between the two grading methods, explore the rationales behind the differing views of the two urological societies, present the current reporting practices for IDC-P, and propose a provisional and pragmatic guide to alleviate the dilemma of which recommendation to follow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, gut microbiota as an immune organ has gradually become the mainstream of research. When the composition of the gut microbiota is changed significantly, this may affect human health. This review details the major microbiota composition and metabolites in the gut and discusses chronic diseases based on gut dysbiosis, including obesity, liver injury, colon cancer, atherosclerosis, and central nervous system diseases. We comprehensively summarize the changes in abundance of relevant gut microbiota by ingesting different diet components (such as food additives, dietary polyphenols, polysaccharides, fats, proteins) and their influence on the microbial quorum sensing system, thereby regulating related diseases. We believe that quorum sensing can be used as a new entry point to explain the mechanism of ingesting dietary components to improve gut microbiota and thereby regulate related diseases. This review hopes to provide a theoretical basis for future research on improving disease symptoms by ingesting functional foods containing dietary components. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The straightforward synthesis of several Fluorinated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by the efficient, transition‐metal‐free, arene fluorine nucleophilic substitution reaction is described, and the full investigation of their liquid crystalline and optical properties reported. The key precursors for this study, i. e. 2,2'‐dilithio‐4,4′,5,5′‐tetraalkoxy‐1,1'‐biphenyl derivatives, were obtained in two steps from the highly selective Scholl oxidative homo‐coupling of 3,4‐dialkoxy‐1‐bromobenzene, followed by quantitative double‐lithiation. In situ room temperature nucleophilic annulation with either perfluorobenzene or perfluoronaphthalene leads to 1,2,3,4‐tetrafluoro‐6,7,10,11‐tetraalkxoytriphenylenes and 9,10,11,12,13,14‐hexafluoro‐2,3,6,7‐tetraalkoxybenzo[f]tetraphenes, respectively, in good yields. Exploiting the same strategy, subsequent double annulations resulted in the formation of 9,18‐difluoro‐2,3,6,7,11,12,15,16‐octa(alkoxy)tribenzo[f,k,m]tetraphenes and 9,10,19,20‐tetrafluoro‐2,3,6,7,12,13,16,17‐octakis(hexyloxy)tetrabenzo[a,c,j,l]tetracenes, respectively. Despite the presence of only four alkoxy chains, the polar "Janus" mesogens display a columnar hexagonal mesophase over broad temperature ranges, with higher mesophase stability than the archetypical 2,3,6,7,10,11‐hexa(alkoxy)triphenylenes and their hydrogenated counterparts. The improvement or induction of mesomorphism is attributed to efficient antiparallel face‐to‐face π‐stacking driven by the establishment of non‐covalent perfluoroarene‐arene intermolecular interactions. The larger lipophilic discotic π‐extended compounds also exhibit columnar mesomorphism, over similar temperature ranges and stability than their hydrogenated homologs. Finally, these fluorinated molecules form stringy gels in various solvents, and show interesting solvatochromic emission properties in solution as well as strong emission in thin films and gels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructing graded structure is a promising solution to reduce the occurrence of cracking and delamination of bilayered zirconia prosthesis. In this work, a novel graded glass/zirconia ceramic was developed by utilizing the interdiffusion between dense zirconia and a novel lithium disilicate glass in the SiO 2 -Li 2 O-Al 2 O 3 system. Results demonstrated that a graded glass/zirconia structure with a depth of about 300 µm was constructed, which exhibited obviously gradient characteristics in microstructure, glass content and mechanical properties. The hardness (H) and elastic modulus (EM) values at the surface reduced significantly (64% for H and 79% for EM), and increased gradually with depth of graded layer. When the graded layer was subjected to loading force, the biaxial flexural strength increased. The mechanism of the evolution of graded structure and change of strength were also elucidated in detail. This study provides a promising strategy to improve the interface stability of bilayered zirconia restoration. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gradient‐type iterative methods for solving Hermitian eigenvalue problems can be accelerated by using preconditioning and deflation techniques. A preconditioned steepest descent iteration with implicit deflation (PSD‐id) is one of such methods. The convergence behavior of the PSD‐id is recently investigated based on the pioneering work of Samokish on the preconditioned steepest descent method (PSD). The resulting non‐asymptotic estimates indicate a superlinear convergence of the PSD‐id under strong assumptions on the initial guess. The present paper utilizes an alternative convergence analysis of the PSD by Neymeyr under much weaker assumptions. We embed Neymeyr's approach into the analysis of the PSD‐id using a restricted formulation of the PSD‐id. More importantly, we extend the new convergence analysis of the PSD‐id to a practically preferred block version of the PSD‐id, or BPSD‐id, and show the cluster robustness of the BPSD‐id. Numerical examples are provided to validate the theoretical estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: A practical approach for the rapid generation and feasible application of green hypocotyl male-sterile (GHMS) tm6 dfr lines in tomato hybrid breeding was established. Male sterility enables reduced cost and high seed purity during hybrid seed production. However, progress toward its commercial application has been slow in tomato due to the disadvantages of most natural male-sterile mutants. Here, we developed a practical method for efficient tomato hybrid seed production using a male-sterile system with visible marker, which was rapidly generated by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing. Two closely linked genes, TM6 and DFR, which were reported to be candidates of ms15 (male sterile-15) and aw (anthocyanin without) locus, respectively, were knocked out simultaneously in two elite tomato inbred lines. Mutagenesis of both genes generated green hypocotyl male-sterile (GHMS) lines. The GHMS lines exhibited male sterility across different genetic backgrounds and environmental conditions. They also showed green hypocotyl due to defective anthocyanin accumulation, which serves as a reliable visible marker for selecting male-sterile plants at the seedling stage. We further proposed a strategy for multiplying the GHMS system and verified its high efficiency in stable male sterility propagation. Moreover, elite hybrid seeds were produced using GHMS system for potential side effects evaluation, and no adverse influences were found on seed yield, seed quality as well as important agronomic traits. This study provides a practical approach for the rapid generation and feasible application of male sterility in tomato hybrid breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interdecadal change in the interannual variability of the South China Sea summer monsoon (SCSSM) intensity and its mechanism are investigated in this study. The interannual variability of the low-level circulation of the SCSSM has experienced a significant interdecadal enhancement around the end of the 1980s, which may be attributed to the interdecadal changes in the evolution of the tropical Indo-Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies and their impacts on the SCSSM. From 1961 to 1989, the low-level circulation over the South China Sea is primarily affected by the SST anomalies in the tropical Indian Ocean via the mechanism of Kelvin-wave-induced Ekman divergence. While in 1990 to 2020, the impacts of the summer SST anomalies in the Maritime Continent and the equatorial central to eastern Pacific on the SCSSM are enhanced, via anomalous meridional circulation and Mastuno-Gill type Rossby wave atmospheric response, respectively. The above interdecadal changes are closely associated with the interdecadal changes in the evolution of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. The interdecadal variation of the summer SST anomalies in the developing and decaying phases of ENSO events enhances the influence of the tropical Indo-Pacific SST on the SCSSM, resulting in the interdecadal change in the interannual variability of the SCSSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variations appearing in biceps brachii muscle are common with accessory head, different origins, variant insertion, and different pattern of nerve innervation. However, variations appearing in both origin and insertion, and with other anomalous morphology at the same time are seldom. Here we report a complex variational case on the right arm of a 91-year-old Japanese female cadaver. The complex variations included (1) the biceps brachii muscle bifurcated at its distal ending; (2) the long head had its own tendon, which divided into two parts, i.e., a lateral part fused into the fascia between the brachioradialis and extensor carpi brevis, and a medial part attached to the radius about one centimeter ahead of the radial tuberosity; (3) the short head had an accessory origin from the shoulder capsule; (4) the bicipital aponeurosis was of two parts with an anterior superior layer formed by the long head and a posterior deep one formed by the short head; (5) the musculocutaneous nerve was especially underdeveloped that only innervated the coracobrachialis; (6) the existence of communicating branch between the musculocutaneous and median nerves, and the median nerve issued muscular branches to the biceps brachii and brachialis muscles, and (7) the brachioradial muscle had two accessory muscular bundles that originated from the fascia of the brachial muscle (proximal one) and from the bicipital aponeurosis (distal one). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a trend to deploy neural network on edge devices in recent years. While the mainstream of research often concerns with single edge device processing and edge-cloud two-layer neural network collaborative computing, in this paper, we propose partitioning multi-layer edge network for neural network collaborative computing. With the proposed method, sub-models of neural network are deployed on multi-layer edge devices along the communication path from end users to cloud. Firstly, we propose an optimal path selection method to form a neural network collaborative computing path with lowest communication overhead. Secondly, we establish a time-delay optimization mathematical model to evaluate the effects of different partitioning solutions. To find the optimal partition solution, an ordered elitist genetic algorithm (OEGA) is proposed. The experimental results show that, compared with traditional cloud computing, single-device edge computing and edge-cloud collaborative computing, the proposed multi-layer edge network collaborative computing has a smaller runtime delay with limited bandwidth resources, and because of the pipeline computing characteristics, the proposed method has a better response speed when processing large number of requests. Meanwhile, the OEGA algorithm has better performance than conventional methods, and the optimized partitioning method outperforms other methods like random and evenly partition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been high demands of high-quality, highly efficient processing methodologies on "difficult-to-cut" titanium alloys. The current methods for dealing with this kind of materials are mainly mechanical cutting ones. However, because of high processing costs, poor surface qualities, and restrictive machining operations, the costs of mechanical cutting methods are high. Electrical discharge machining (EDM), because of its flexibility, was considered as a supplement. However, serious difficulties arose while machining titanium alloys by EDM. Because of low thermo-conductivity of titanium alloys, the liquid temperature in gap between electrode and workpiece rose quickly after a series of pulse discharges. The high temperature of gap liquid usually led to gap liquid breakdown strength to decline. The consequence was discharging pulses tended out to be stable arc pulses or short pulses, burning workpiece surface and wearing electrode. The machining process became unstable. The low thermal conductivity of titanium alloys was the inherent property which could be hardly changed, and at present, the only way to settle the hard-to-cut problem of machining titanium alloys by EDM was to seek a way to keep gap liquid breakdown strength not go down so fast but still be suitable for effective pulse discharges. To solve this problem, this paper first listed three conditions to be met and analyzed the reasons to affect gap liquid breakdown strength in detail and concluded with three factors, gap distance, amount of chips left in gap, and gap liquid deionization after pulse discharges and then came up with a proposition to the problem. Technically, the proposition was accomplished by constructing a multiple-variable adaptive control system in which gap servo-voltage proportional to gap distance was in charge of discharging extent of pulses, electrode-discharging time decided the amount of chips produced in an electrode discharging cycle, and pulse-off time decided gap liquid deionization after discharges. These variables were timely regulated to keep the liquid breakdown strength suitable for discharging and meanwhile avoiding arcing in machining. The verification test demonstrated that the multivariable control system really helped electrical discharge machining titanium alloys in severe machining situations and proved its usefulness in applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: A multi-scale structural carbon fiber-based composite was synthesized through the assembly of one-dimensional materials. The construction of multiple conductive networks makes the composite have a strong EMI shielding performance of 73.9 dB. The reasonable design endows the composite with excellent positive and passive thermal management properties. Wearable devices with efficient thermal management and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding are highly desirable for improving human comfort and safety. Herein, a multifunctional wearable carbon fibers (CF) @ polyaniline (PANI) / silver nanowires (Ag NWs) composites with a "branch-trunk" interlocked micro/nanostructure were achieved through "three-in-one" multi-scale design. The reasonable assembly of the three kinds of one-dimensional (1D) materials can fully exert their excellent properties i.e., the superior flexibility of CF, the robustness of PANI, and the splendid conductivity of AgNWs. Consequently, the constructed flexible composite demonstrates enhanced mechanical properties with a tensile stress of 1.2 MPa, which was almost 6 times that of the original material. This is mainly attributed to the fact that the PNAI (branch) was firmly attached to the CF (trunk) through polydopamine (PDA), forming a robust interlocked structure. Meanwhile, the composite possesses excellent thermal insulation and heat preservation capacity owing to the synergistically low thermal conductivity and emissivity. More importantly, the conductive path of the composite established by the three 1D materials greatly improved its EMI shielding property and Joule heating performance at low applied voltage. This work paves the way for rational utilization of the intrinsic properties of 1D materials, as well as provides a promising strategy for designing wearable electromagnetic protection and thermal energy management devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Male sterility can reduce cost and enable high seed purity during hybrid seed production. However, the commercial application of male sterility in hybrid seed production has not been widely used in tomatoes. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing can facilitate acceleration for the practical application of male sterility in hybrid seed production. Here, by using the CRISPR-Cas9 system, two genes DYSFUNCTIONAL TAPETUM1 (SlDYT1) and Glutathione S-transferase (SlGSTAA), which underly the two closely linked loci Male sterile 10 (Ms10) and Anthocyanin absent (AA), were knocked out simultaneously in two tomato parental lines. The generated dyt1gstaa double mutants developed green hypocotyl owing to anthocyanin deficiency and exhibited stable male sterility. Up to 92% effectiveness in selecting male sterility was achieved using green hypocotyl as a morphological marker, and thereafter an efficient and stable propagation strategy of male sterility with the aid of the morphological marker selection was developed. Furthermore, dyt1gstaa-derived hybrid seeds were produced and found to have comparable yield, weight, and germination rate with the corresponding WT-derived F1 seeds. The dyt1gstaa system not only increased hybrid seed purity to 100% but also facilitated its rapid and cost-effective determination. Moreover, this system was discovered to have no evident side effects on important agronomic traits. This study suggested that our CRISPR/Cas9-created dyt1gstaa system can be deployed in tomato hybrid seed production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysregulation of miRNAs in chondrocytes has been confirmed to participate in osteoarthritis (OA) progression. Previous study has screen out several key miRNAs may play crucial role in OA based on bioinformatic analysis. Herein, we identified the downregulation of miR-1 in OA samples and inflamed chondrocytes. The further experiments revealed that miR-1 played an essential role in maintaining chondrocytes proliferation, migration, antiapoptosis, and anabolism. Connexin 43 (CX43) was further predicted and confirmed to be the target of miR-1, and mediated the promotion effects of miR-1 in regulating chondrocyte functions. Mechanistically, miR-1 maintained the expression of GPX4 and SLC7A11 by targeting CX43, attenuated the accumulation of intracellular ROS, lipid ROS, MDA, and Fe2+ in chondrocytes, thereby inhibiting the ferroptosis of chondrocytes. Finally, experimental OA model was constructed by anterior cruciate ligament transection surgery, and Agomir-1 was injected into the joint cavity of mice to assess the protective effect of miR-1 in OA progression. Histological staining, immunofluorescence staining and Osteoarthritis Research Society International score revealed that miR-1 could alleviate the OA progression. Therefore, our study elucidated the mechanism of miR-1 in OA in detail and provided a new insight for the treatment of OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work concerns the finite-time ruin probabilities for several bidimensional risk models with constant interest force and correlated Brownian motions. Under the condition that the two Brownian motions { B 1 (t) , t ≥ 0 } and { B 2 (t) , t ≥ 0 } are correlated, we establish new results for the finite-time ruin probabilities. Our research enriches the development of the ruin theory with heavy tails in unidimensional risk models and the dependence theory of stochastic processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility and clinical effect of Krackow suturing combined with the suture bridge technique for the treatment of acute inferior pole patella fracture. Methods: In this study, 18 patients with acute inferior pole patella fracture who received treatment using Krackow suturing combined with the suture bridge technique between January 2019 and March 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. There were 10 men and 8 women, with an average age of 50.1 years (range 24–69 years). X-ray examinations were performed to assess fracture healing and the Insall–Salvati index. The clinical effect was measured by the range of motion of the knee joint and the Böstman scale. Results: Patients were followed up for 13–26 months, with an average follow-up period of 19.6 months. X-ray indicated that fracture union had occurred in all patients by 10.1 weeks after surgery on average (range 8–14 weeks). The mean Insall–Salvati index immediately after surgery and at the final follow-up was 0.98 ± 0.07 and 0.90 ± 0.22, respectively (P > 0.05). At the last follow-up, the mean flexion and extension ranges for the knee joint were 135.8° ± 8.8° and − 2.8° ± 3.9°, respectively, and the mean Böstman scale was 28.9 ± 1.1 points. Functional recovery was excellent in 17 patients and good in one patient, resulting in an overall good/excellent recovery rate of 100%. Conclusions: Our results indicated that Krackow suturing combined with the suture bridge technique can achieve stable fracture fixation, provides good clinical outcomes in the treatment of acute inferior pole patella fracture, and is worthy of clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pseudocapacitive electrodes with high rate retention and good cycling stability are highly desirable in constructing high-performance supercapacitors due to their rapid charge/discharge capacity and long service life, but they are still a challenge to realize. Herein, a ternary Fe3O4/reduced graphene oxide/phytic acid (PA)-doped polyaniline (F-RGO-p-PANI) hybrid has been prepared to address this challenge. Prompted by the multiple synergistic effects among RGO, Fe3O4, PA, and PANI, our F-RGO-p-PANI material exhibits a high specific capacitance (Cs) of 459.1 F g−1 with a current density of 0.5 A g−1. Interestingly, our supercapacitor displays both high capacitance retention (∼83.5%) under a broad current density range (from 0.25 to 20 A g−1) and high cycling stability (∼80.8%) over 10 000 cycles under a high current density (20 A g−1), better than previous results. Moreover, our supercapacitor also shows a high specific energy density of 58.1 W h kg−1 with a power density of 0.5 kW kg−1. These results imply that our ternary F-RGO-p-PANI holds tremendous potential in fabricating rapidly charged/discharged supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simple and efficient detection of nucleic acids is important in the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). However, base mismatch will lead to false positive and false negative nucleic acid test, which seriously interferes with the accuracy of the final results. Herein, we demonstrated a CRISPR/Cas-9-mediated fluorescent strategy utilizing fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) for the detection of bacteria. High-variable region of M. tuberculosis 16S rDNA fragment was used as the target, and CRISPR/Cas9 was used as the recognition element. The binding of the P1 probe of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) @SiO2-P1 and the P2 probe of Fe3O4@Au-P2 caused the fluorescence quenching of UCNPs. In the presence of the target, the P2 probe hybridized with the target to form double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), which was recognized and cleaved by CRISPR/Cas9, resulting in the breaking of the P1–P2 duplex linkage. UCNPs moved away from Fe3O4@Au under a magnetic field, and the fluorescence signal was restored; bacteria were detected under the excitation of a 980 nm laser source. Using the CRISPR/Cas-9-mediated system, the sensor could distinguish single-base mismatches in 10 bases from the protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) region. The limit of detection (LOD) was 20 CFU mL−1 and the detection time was 2 h. It developed a new way of accurate nucleic acid detection for disease diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high‐temperature oxidation resistance of 12Cr ferritic/martensitic steels with Zr contents in the range of 0–1.3607 wt% is investigated at 650 and 800 °C in air. The results show that the oxidation resistance of steels is improved by adding Zr. The oxide layer on the surface of steels after oxidation is mainly composed of MnCr2O4 and Cr2O3, where traces of Mn2O3 and ZrO2 oxides can also be detected there. The oxide layer of steels consists of two layers, that is, the outer Mn‐rich oxides (MnCr2O4, Mn2O3) and the inner Cr‐rich oxides (Cr2O3). For none‐Zr steels oxidized at 650 °C, Cr2O3 oxides are also formed in the outer layer. The addition of Zr promotes the outer oxides to change from Cr2O3 oxides to MnCr2O4 oxides and reduces the growth rate of MnCr2O4 oxides. The effect of Zr on the high‐temperature oxidation resistance of steels can be attributed to its promoting effect on the formation of outer Mn‐rich oxides, which can refine the size of outer Mn‐rich oxides and form a dense outer oxide layer. The dense outer oxide layer can inhibit the inward diffusion of oxygen and improve the oxidation resistance of steel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel 1,2,3-triazole based dansyl fluorophore has been designed and synthesized for detecting Cu2+ as a fluorescent probe (P1). The probe P1 exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity for Cu2+ compared to other selected species in aqueous solution within a wide pH span (5 to 14), which showed that P1 may be applied in the entire alkaline pH window. The limit of detection (LOD) was measured to be as low as 5 × 10−7 mol/L for Cu2+. A 1:2 binding ratio and association constant of 4.6 × 104 M−1 between P1 and Cu2+ were determined. Additionally, rapid response to Cu2+ was demonstrated in less than 3 seconds and the linear concentration range was from 0.5 to 2.5 µmol/L. Moreover, probe P1 showed good biocompatibility and cell membrane permeability and was successfully applied for imaging Cu2+ in water samples and living cells, which demonstrates the application of P1 in complicated environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil nutrient loss, which leads to low plant utilization, has become an urgent issue. Graphene can improve soil fertilizer-holding properties given its small size effect, strong adsorption properties, and large specific surface area. Herein, different amounts of graphene were added to soil samples to study its effect on soil nutrient retention and growth of pepper seedlings. The colloidal double electric layer theory forms the basis for an analysis of variations in soil nutrient concentration through measurements of the zeta potential, which is affected by variations in ion concentrations in soil colloids. We measured the zeta potential of graphene and soil mixed colloids and found that graphene could increase the concentration of nutrient ions in soil colloids. In addition, graphene reduced the loss of nutrients; increased the contents of ammonium nitrogen, effective phosphorus, and fast-acting potassium in the soil after leaching; and enhanced the stability of soil aggregates after leaching. In addition, pepper seedlings grown under graphene treatment for 60 days outperformed seedlings grown without graphene treatment, in terms of plant height and nutrient content. This study demonstrates that the addition of graphene to soil can reduce nutrient loss and promote fertility and plant growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypothalamic hamartomas (HHs) are uncommon benign lesions of neuronal and glial cells in the inferior hypothalamus. They have been linked to epilepsy, premature puberty, and cognitive and behavioral impairment. We report a 13‐year‐old patient who was referred to a multidisciplinary treatment team for epilepsy with 6 months of convulsive seizures. Sustained seizure control was not achieved despite the use of multiple antiepileptic agents. He had been plagued by unexplained paroxysmal bursts of laughter for >11 years. Video‐electroencephalography showed diffuse epileptic discharges prominent in the right hemisphere in both interictal and ictal phases. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an isointense gray matter mass on the right lateral walls of the third ventricle, with focal hypometabolism on 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET). The patient subsequently was enrolled in a clinical trial of 18F‐SynVesT‐1 PET in epilepsy, and an increased 18F‐SynVesT‐1 uptake was noted in the mass. After excluding hormonal abnormalities, the patient underwent open resection targeting HHs. We used 18F‐SynVesT‐1 as a specific PET tracer for synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A, which is ubiquitously expressed in brain synapses. 18F‐SynVesT‐1 PET may hold promise as a supplementary tool in the presurgical localization and evaluation of HHs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to investigate the effect of developmental endothelial locus-1(DEL-1) expression in atherosclerotic plaque formation and its mechanism. Human left coronary arteries were collected to detect the DEL-1 expression. The ApoE−/− mice were used to establish the atherosclerosis mice model. The left coronary artery and mouse aorta were stained with HE, Oil Red O, and Movat staining. The DEL-1 levels, chemokines CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and its ligand stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha (SDF-1 α), pathway protein glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), CCAAT enhanced binding protein β (C/EBPβ), and downstream inflammatory factors (C-X-C motif chemokine 2 (MIP-2or CXCL2), macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha (MIP-1 α or CCL3),Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF- α) were detected by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between DEL-1 gene expression and inflammatory factors in the lesion group and the correlation between DEL-1 gene expression and structure-related indexes. Compared with Control group(CON), the intravascular plaque area was widened, accompanied by narrowed lumens. The number of plaque foam cells was significantly increased in the high fat and high cholesterol (AS group) or AAV9-eGFP group (P < 0.05). Compared to CON, the enhanced fluorescence intensity of DEL-1 with CD68 in the AS or AAV9-eGFP groups. Diminished fluorescence of DEL-1 with CD68 expression in AAV9-CXCR4 group compared to AS group or AAV9-eGFP group. The DEL-1 and its downstream proteins in AS group or AAV9-eGFP group were mainly accumulated in the macrophage cytoplasm. The DEL-1 expression level was significantly and positively correlated with plaque area, lumen stenosis, plaque foam cell count, TNFα, CXCL2, and CCL3 levels. DEL-1 inhibition decreases macrophagic inflammatory factors involved in atherosclerotic plaque formation. • This study is completed on the basis of previous work, so it has certain data support. • This study is the first to use the expression of DEL-1 in human coronary tissue in coronary artery disease and sudden cardiac death. • It explores the mechanism of DEL-1 in the development of coronary artery disease. • This study can add a reference to the coronary heart disease biomarker database. • It provides an experimental basis for the clinical prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease and the pathological diagnosis of sudden coronary death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bilayer zirconia restoration is one of the most commonly used restorations in dental practice, but the high frequency of the cohesive/adhesive fracture of veneered porcelain is still a problem. This paper focuses on the development of nanostructured glass-zirconia to improve the interface stability of dental zirconia substrate and veneered porcelain. A novel SiO2-Li2O-Al2O3 (SLA) glass was prepared and infiltrated into the surface of fully sintered dental zirconia to obtain nanostructured glass-zirconia structure. The prepared glass-zirconia was analyzed with scanning electron microscopes (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD). The wettability, roughness and 3D morphology of zirconia were altered, and shear bonding strength (SBS) test demonstrated almost double increase in SBS values of the nanostructured glass-zirconia structure. The failure modes and microstructure characteristics also verified the improved interfacial stability. This investigation provides a promising method for enhancing the structural stability of bilayer zirconia restorations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of new generation information technology, many traditional factories begin to transform to smart factories. How to process the huge volume data in the smart factories so as to improve the production efficiency is still a serious problem. Based on the characteristics of smart factory, a fog computing framework suitable for smart factory is proposed, and Kubernetes is used to automatically deploy containerized smart factory applications. First, in the scene of fog computing, an improved interval division genetic scheduling algorithm IDGSA (Interval Division Genetic Scheduling Algorithm) based on genetic algorithm is proposed to schedule and allocate tasks in smart factory. We consider the optimization of task execution time and resource balance at same time and combined with IDGSA, the optimized scheduling decision is given. Second, we further design an architecture of cloud and fog collaborative computing. In this scenario, we propose the IDGSA-P (Interval Division Genetic Scheduling Algorithm with Penalty factor) for optimization based on IDGSA. Finally, we carry out simulation experiments to verify the performance of the proposed algorithms. The simulation results show that compared with Kubernetes default scheduling algorithm, IDGSA can reduce data processing time by 50% and improve the utilization of fog computing resources by 60%. Compared with traditional genetic algorithm, with fewer iterations, IDGSA can reduce data processing time by 7% and improve the utilization of fog computing resources by 9%. And compared with the conventional Joines&Houck method, the proposed IDGSA-P algorithm can converge much faster and archived better optimization results. Further, the simulation shows that IDGSA-P in cloud and fog collaborative computing can reduce the total task delay by 18% and 7%, respectively, when compare to only-cloud and only-fog computing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compilation of new advances made in the research field of laboratory reaction kinetics in China's Key Development Project for Air Pollution Formation Mechanism and Control Technologies was presented. These advances are grouped into six broad, interrelated categories, including volatile organic compound (VOC) oxidation, secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation, new particle formation (NPF) and gas-particle partitioning, ozone chemistry, model parameters, and secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA) formation, highlighting the laboratory work done by Chinese researchers. For smog chamber applications, the current knowledge gained from laboratory studies is reviewed, with emphasis on summarizing the oxidation mechanisms of long-chain alkanes, aromatics, alkenes, aldehydes/ketones in the atmosphere, SOA formation from anthropogenic emission sources, and oxidation of aromatics, isoprene, and limonene, as well as SIA formation. For flow tube applications, atmospheric oxidation mechanisms of toluene and methacrolein, SOA formation from limonene oxidation by ozone, gas-particle partitioning of peroxides, and sulfuric acid-water (H 2 SO 4 -H 2 O) binary nucleation, methanesulfonic acid-water (MSA-H 2 O) binary nucleation, and sulfuric acid-ammonia-water (H 2 SO 4 -NH 3 -H 2 O) ternary nucleation are discussed. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Battery grade Li2CO3 is successfully synthesized by the carbonation‐decomposition method using defective crude Li2CO3 with the purity of 98.56 wt% containing 5873 ppm SO42− and other impurities such as Na, K, Ca, Fe, and Mg. Filter operation is found to be very important to improve quality of products. The purified Li2CO3 precipitation acquired by filtering the LiHCO3 solution possesses a higher purity of 99.65 wt% and greater whiteness with lower amounts of SO42− (222.0 ppm) and Fe (6.6 ppm). For further purification, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt is added into the LiHCO3 solution then Ca and Fe contents in purified Li2CO3 are reduced to 2.9 and 0.7 ppm, respectively. The removal efficiencies obtained for Ca, Fe, and SO42− are of 80.05%, 99.4%, and 97.5%, respectively. The research of reaction kinetics shows that the rate‐determining step of the carbonation process is diffusion control and the generated HCO3− ions can resist the further dissolution of CO2. The theoretical thermal decomposition temperature is 277.10 K by the thermodynamic calculation. SO42− impurity comes from absorbed Na2SO4 and doped Li2SO4. This work is of great significance to economically and simply treat defective product with high impurity content in the actual Li2CO3 production process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, four types of variations of the flexor carpi radialis with accessory muscular bundles were classified depending on the origin of the accessory muscular bundle and relationships with the bicipital aponeurosis, biceps brachii, pronator teres, and coracobrachialis. Six types of insertions of the tendon of the flexor carpi radialis were also divided according to their inserted positions on the carpal and metacarpal bones. An accessory muscular bundle of the flexor carpi radialis was found in 4 (1 female and 3 males) of 68 cadavers (5.88%), with five examples in 136 arms (3.68%). It was bilateral in one cadaver and unilateral (two on the right and one on the left) in three. The insertion of the flexor carpi radialis tendon was not only on the proximal surface of the base of the second metacarpal bone but also on the third metacarpal bone, the tubercle of the trapezium, and the scaphoid. These findings and classifications are important in anatomical education, and have important significances in clinical diagnosis and therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperparameters involved in neural networks (NNs) have a significant impact on the accuracy of model predictions. However, the values of the hyperparameters need to be manually preset, and finding the best hyperparameters has always puzzled researchers. In order to improve the accuracy and speed of target recognition by a neural network, an improved genetic algorithm is proposed to optimize the hyperparameters of the network by taking the loss function as the research object. Firstly, the role of all loss functions in object detection is analyzed, and a mathematical model is established according to the relationship between loss functions and hyperparameters. Secondly, an improved genetic algorithm is proposed, and the feasibility of the improved algorithm is verified by using complex fractal function and fractional calculus. Finally, the improved genetic algorithm is used to optimize the hyperparameters of the neural network, and the prediction accuracy of the model before and after the improvement is comprehensively analyzed. By comparing with state-of-the-art object detectors, our proposed method achieves the highest prediction accuracy in object detection. Based on an average accuracy rate of 95%, the detection speed is 20 frames per second, which shows the rationality and feasibility of the optimized model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel application mode of CSP with HEHP technology is proposed. • The flexible operation benefits of CSP with HEHP technology in the IES are analysed and quantified. • The carbon emission trajectory of the IES containing CSP with an HEHP device is depicted. • CSP with HEHP technology increases the utilization of solar energy. • A rational combination of the hydrogen and thermal energy storage capacities are necessary. The efficient integration of renewable energy with hydrogen storage is an important means for China to achieve carbon neutrality. Concentrated solar power (CSP) is an emerging technology for solar energy utilization that combines the advantages of power generation and energy storage. However, CSP has not been fully exploited because of the high generation cost and an incomplete market mechanism in China. The heat collected by CSP can be utilized for high-temperature electrolytic hydrogen production (HEHP), which is an efficient technology for hydrogen production and storage, and reducing carbon emission. Thus, a low-carbon operating mode for an integrated energy system (IES) consisting of wind, solar and hydrogen energy is proposed in this paper. First, an optimal operation model of electricity-heat-hydrogen coupling for an IES containing CSP and HEHP is established. Second, the effect of CSP with HEHP on the total operation performance of the system is evaluated from the aspects of the system economy, renewable energy utilization, and carbon emission. Finally, the model is validated by a case study of an island IES, and an optimal sizing for hydrogen energy storage and thermal energy storage of CSP is determined. The results show that CSP with HEHP can effectively improve the utilization rate of solar energy and reduce the carbon emissions of the system, offering an approach for carbon reduction planning and the operation of CSP in electric-hydrogen energy systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: PD-L1 PET imaging allows for the whole body measuring its expression across primary and metastatic tumors and visualizing its spatiotemporal dynamics before, during, and after treatment. In this study, we reported a novel 18F-labeled D-peptide antagonist, 18F-NOTA-NF12, for PET imaging of PD-L1 status in preclinical and first-in-human studies. Methods: Manual and automatic radiosynthesis of 18F-NOTA-NF12 was performed. Cell uptake and binding assays were completed in MC38, H1975, and A549 cell lines. The capacity for imaging of PD-L1 status, biodistribution, and pharmacokinetics were investigated in preclinical models. The PD-L1 status was verified by western blotting, immunohistochemistry/fluorescence, and flow cytometry. The safety, radiation dosimetry, biodistribution, and PD-L1 imaging potential were evaluated in healthy volunteers and patients. Results: The radiosynthesis of 18F-NOTA-NF12 was achieved via manual and automatic methods with radiochemical yields of 41.7 ± 10.2 % and 70.6 ± 4.2 %, respectively. In vitro binding assays demonstrated high specificity and affinity with an IC50 of 78.35 nM and KD of 85.08 nM. The MC38 and H1975 tumors were clearly visualized with the optimized tumor-to-muscle ratios of 5.36 ± 1.17 and 7.13 ± 1.78 at 60 min after injection. Gemcitabine- and selumetinib-induced modulation of PD-L1 dynamics was monitored by 18F-NOTA-NF12. The tumor uptake correlated well with their PD-L1 expression. 18F-NOTA-NF12 exhibited renal excretion and rapid clearance from blood and other non-specific organs, contributing to high contrast imaging in the clinical time frame. In NSCLC and esophageal cancer patients, the specificity of 18F-NOTA-NF12 for PD-L1 imaging was confirmed. The 18F-NOTA-NF12 PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT had equivalent findings in patients with high PD-L1 expression. Conclusion: 18F-NOTA-NF12 was developed successfully as a PD-L1-specific tracer with promising results in preclinical and first-in-human trials, which support the further validation of 18F-NOTA-NF12 for PET imaging of PD-L1 status in clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Voltage source converter (VSC) based multi -terminal HVDC (VSC-MTDC) systems have emerged as flexible collector systems for multi-area interconnected AC/DC hybrid grids with high share of volatile renewables energy. However, it remains an open question as how to exploit the flexible and cooperative regulation of multiple VSC stations and enhance secure operation on the premise of information privacy protection of multiple independent dispatch areas. This paper proposed an Analytical Target Cascading (ATC)-based three-layer decentralized optimization approach on flexible operation of VSC-MTDC hybrid systems. The low layer is a chance-constrained stochastic optimal power flow (SOPF) problem for AC grids. To guard against the secure operation risk by a VSC's random unipolar atresia fault, a modified loss of load probability index (MLOLP) is proposed to improve the day-ahead generation-reserve scheme. The middle layer and the high layer are a multiperiod OPF problem for VSC stations and the MTDC grid, respectively, where a detailed power regulation model is built to fully exert the flexible cooperation of multiple VSC stations. Two case systems are tested to verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed flexible operation hierarchy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial quality detection is one of the important fields in machine vision. Big data analysis, the Internet of Things, edge computing, and other technologies are widely used in industrial quality detection. Studying an industrial detection algorithm that can be organically combined with the Internet of Things and edge computing is imminent. Deep learning methods in industrial quality detection have been widely proposed recently. However, due to the particularity of industrial scenarios, the existing deep learning-based general object detection methods have shortcomings in industrial applications. This study designs two isomorphic industrial detection models to solve these problems: T-model and S-model. Both proposed models combine swin-transformer with convolution in the backbone and design a residual fusion path. In the neck, this study designs a dual attention module to improve feature fusion. Second, this study presents a knowledge distiller based on the dual attention module to improve the detection accuracy of the lightweight S-model. According to the analysis of the experimental results on four public industrial defect detection datasets, the model in this study is more advantageous in industrial defect detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triethylamine gas is one of the harmful volatile organic compounds for human health and the ecological environment. Therefore, in order to prevent the detrimental effects of triethylamine gas, it has greatly requirement to be accurately detected. Unfortunately, Cu2O has a low triethylamine gas response and slow recovery. Because of this, we prepared Cu2O/Ti3C2T x nanocomposites by a facile ultrasonication technique. Cu2O is uniformly dispersed on the surface and interlayers of multilayer Ti3C2T x to form a stable hybrid heterostructure. The optimized Cu2O/Ti3C2T x nanocomposite sensor’s response to 10 ppm triethylamine at room temperature is 181.6% (∣ R g- R a ∣ / R a × 100%). It is 3.5 times higher than the original Cu2O nanospheres (52.1%). Moreover, due to the characteristics of high carrier migration rate and excellent conductivity of Ti3C2T x, the response recovery rate (1062 s/74 s) of Cu2O/Ti3C2Tx composites is greatly improved than pristine Cu2O (3169 s/293 s). In addition, Cu2O/Ti3C2T x nanocomposites sensor also shows excellent repeatability, outstanding selectivity, and long-term stability. Thus, the Cu2O/Ti3C2T x nanocomposites sensor has broad application prospects for detecting triethylamine gas at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional (3D) human pose estimation aims to locate 3D keypoints of individuals from given input RGB images. For two-dimensional (2D) human pose estimation problems, majority methods inferring 2D poses are from 2D heatmaps. However, it is hard to extend this method to 3D poses inferring area which makes computational loads increase sharply. To address the above problem, we propose STM-CNN method to estimate reconstruction coefficient matrix to calculate the final 3D pose instead of estimating 3D heatmaps to decrease the computational loads. First, STM-CNN does a preprocessing procedure to calculate a set of shape and weight bases. Second, STM-CNN infers a 2D matrix called reconstruction coefficient from the STM-CNN architecture. Third, STM-CNN utilizes the preprocessing shape and weight bases and estimated reconstruction coefficient matrix to calculate the final 3D pose. Meanwhile, STM-CNN method achieves better performances compared with the state-of-the-art methods on Human3.6M. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wireless communication scheme named point focusing (PF) wireless communication is proposed for intra‐spacecraft wireless transmission. In this scheme, a set of point focusing fields (PFFs) generated by the time reversal (TR) based field shaping method are employed to carry the binary bits. Based on the orthogonality of the non‐overlapped focal points of the PFFs, the same spectrum can be spatially reused. The point‐to‐point spacing between PFFs is half a wavelength, that is, a distance at Rayleigh diffraction limit, which can maximize the spectrum reutilization efficiency in a bounded spatial region. A closed metal cavity is employed to numerically and experimentally demonstrate the performance of the PFFs based wireless communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Vitamin K2 supplementation has been revealed to be effective in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in Japan, but further proof for the effectiveness of this practice is still needed. Objective: To investigate whether vitamin K2 supplementation plays a role in maintaining bone mineral density (BMD) and reducing the incidence of fractures for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at a long-term follow-up. Materials and methods: We searched systematically throughout the databases of PubMed, Cochrane library, and EMBASE from the dates of their inception to November 16 2021 in this meta-analysis and systematic review, using keywords vitamin K2 and osteoporosis. Results: Nine RCTs with 6853 participants met the inclusion criteria. Vitamin K2 was associated with a significantly increased percentage change of lumbar BMD and forearm BMD (WMD 2.17, 95% CI [1.59–2.76] and WMD 1.57, 95% CI [1.15–1.99]). There were significant differences in undercarboxylated osteocalcin (uc-OC) reduction (WMD −0.96, 95% CI [−0.70 to 0.21]) and osteocalcin (OC) increment (WMD 26.52, 95% CI [17.06–35.98]). Adverse reaction analysis showed that there seemed to be higher adverse reaction rates in the vitamin K2 group (RR = 1.33, 95% CI [1.11–1.59]), but no serious adverse events related to vitamin K2 supplementation. Conclusion: This meta-analysis and systematic review seemed to support the hypothesis that vitamin K2 plays an important role in the maintenance and improvement of BMD, and it decreases uc-OC and increases OC significantly at a long-term follow-up. Vitamin K2 supplementation is beneficial and safe in the treatment of osteoporosis for postmenopausal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we adopt the variance premium principle to investigate the problem of optimal dividends and reinsurance in a diffusion approximation risk model with thinning-dependence structure. We first study the optimal problem without capital injection. We then consider the incorporation of forced capital injection into the model whenever the reserve level drops below zero. We finally turn to the general problem in which capital injection is allowed but not compulsory. For the three optimal problems, we apply the technique of stochastic control theory to obtain closed-form expressions for the optimal strategies and the corresponding value functions for two classes of insurance business with thinning dependence. Under the assumption of non cheap reinsurance, we obtain results that are quite different from those in the case of cheap reinsurance for both bounded and unbounded dividend rates. Furthermore some numerical examples are presented to show the effect of parameter values on the optimal policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: While TIGIT has been propelled as a next-generation target in cancer immunotherapy, anti-TIGIT therapy seems to be promising for a fraction of patients in clinical trials. Therefore, patient stratification is critical for this therapy, which could benefit from a whole-body, non-invasive, and quantitative evaluation of TIGIT expression in cancers. In this study, a 68Ga-labeled D-peptide antagonist, 68Ga-GP12, was developed and validated for PET imaging of TIGIT expression in vitro, in vivo, and in an exploratory human study. Methods: The D-enantiomer peptide antagonists were modified and radiolabeled with 68Ga. In vitro binding assays were performed in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to assess their affinity and specificity. The imaging capacity, biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, and radiation dosimetry were investigated. Flow cytometry, autoradiography, and immunohistochemical staining were used to confirm the expression of TIGIT. The safety and potential of 68Ga-GP12 for PET/CT imaging of TIGIT expression were evaluated in NSCLC patients. Results: 68Ga-labeled D-peptides were conveniently produced with high radiochemical yields, radiochemical purities and molar activities. In vitro binding assays demonstrated 68Ga-GP12 has high affinity and specificity for TIGIT with a KD of 37.28 nM. In vivo and ex vivo studies demonstrated the capacity of 68Ga-GP12 for PET imaging of TIGIT expression with high tumor uptake of 4.22 ± 0.68 %ID/g and the tumor-to-muscle ratio of 12.94 ± 2.64 at 60 min post-injection. In NSCLC patients, primary and metastatic lesions found in 68Ga-GP12 PET images were comparable to that in 18F-FDG PET images. Moreover, tracer uptake in primary and metastatic lesions and intra-tumoral distribution in the large tumor were inhomogenous, indicating the heterogeneity of TIGIT expression. Conclusion: 68Ga-GP12 is a promising radiotracer for PET imaging of TIGIT expression in cancers, indicating its potential as a potential companion diagnostic for anti-TIGIT therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional power equipment defect-detection relies on manual verification, which places a high demand on the verifier's experience, as well as a high workload and low efficiency, which can lead to false detection and missed detection. The Mask of the regions with CNN features (Mask RCNN) deep learning model is used to provide a defect-detection approach based on the Mask RCNN of Attention, Rotation, Genetic algorithm (ARG-Mask RCNN), which employs infrared imaging as the data source to assess the features of damaged insulators. For the backbone network of Mask RCNN, the structure of Residual Network 101 (ResNet101) is improved and the attention mechanism is added, which makes the model more alert to small targets and can quickly identify the location of small targets, improve the loss function, integrate the rotation mechanism into the loss function formula, and generate an anchor frame where a rotation angle is used to accurately locate the fault location. The initial hyperparameters of the network are improved, and the Genetic Algorithm Combined with Gradient Descent (GA-GD) algorithm is used to optimize the model hyperparameters, so that the model training results are as close to the global best as possible. The experimental results show that the average accuracy of the insulator fault-detection method proposed in this paper is as high as 98%, and the number of frames per second (FPS) is 5.75, which provides a guarantee of the safe, stable, and reliable operation of our country's power system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Review the self-healing mechanism and research progress of self-healing polyurethane elastomers. • The application of self-healing polyurethane elastomers is briefly described. • Intrinsic self-healing polyurethane elastomers impart excellent properties to the materials. • The development directions and application prospects of the materials are discussed. Drawing inspiration from nature, such as the self-healing ability of skin injuries, researchers are increasingly exploring the use of self-healing polyurethane elastomers to design safer, longer-lasting, and better-performing materials. In this paper, we have reviewed the progress in the study of self-healing polyurethane elastomeric materials based on the self-healing mechanism from two classes, intrinsic self-healing polyurethane elastomers and external self-healing polyurethane elastomers. The intrinsic self-healing polyurethane elastomers can be classified into three categories based on the type of self-healing bonds: self-healing polyurethane elastomers with reversible non-covalent bonding, self-healing polyurethane elastomers with reversible covalent bonding, and self-healing polyurethane elastomers with multiple bonds. Self-healing polyurethane elastomers with reversible non-covalent bonds are constructed from hydrogen bonds, π–π stacking, ionic interactions, and coordination bonds. Self-healing polyurethane elastomers with reversible covalent bonds were constructed by disulfide bonds, Diels-Alder dynamic covalent bonds, acylhydrazone bonds, and borate ester bonds. In addition, there have been proposals for self-healing polyurethane elastomers that exhibit improved properties by combining reversible non-covalent and reversible covalent bonds in various bonding configurations. Self-healing polyurethane elastomers with external support have primarily been introduced as microencapsulated self-healing polyurethane elastomers. The paper summarizes the self-healing properties, the elongation at break, tensile strength, and self-healing mechanism of self-healing polyurethane elastomers as studied by previous researchers. Finally, the application of self-healing polyurethane elastomers is briefly described. Additionally, the development directions and application prospects of high-strength self-healing polyurethane elastomers are discussed. It is expected that this paper will provide guidance and serve as a reference for researchers who are interested in preparing self-healing polyurethane elastomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid, sensitive, and low-cost foodborne pathogens detection is crucial for dealing with foodborne diseases caused by bacteria. In this work, we designed a new CRISPR/Cas9-mediated electrochemical biosensor for ultrasensitive detection of Escherichia coli (E. coli) based on multifunctional covalent organic framework-based nanocomposite (GOx-AuNPs-COF-H2) and hyperbranched rolling circle amplification (HB-RCA) reaction. When specific DNA targets were present in the system, the targets could be recognized and cleaved by CRISPR-Cas9 system, which triggered strand displacement reaction (SDR) and HB-RCA reaction. By introducing GOx-AuNPs-COF-H2 nanocomposite, H2 probe could hybridize with RCA products to bind to the electrode surface. After added glucose solution, GOx could catalyze it in the detection system and thus offered significant current signals for bacteria detection. This approach showed high analytical performance for assay of E. coli with the detection limit (LOD) of 10 CFU/mL. Furthermore, real samples were detected by this approach, demonstrating its promising potential for foodborne pathogens detection in food monitoring and clinical diagnosis. [Display omitted] • Ultrasensitive sensor was constructed by functionalized COFs and hyperbranched-RCA reaction. • The sensor had good stability, high sensitivity and low detected background signal. • This method provides new ideas for accurate foodborne diseases associated with E. coli infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inch-sized Mn-based halide single crystal films, (C 25 H 22 P) 2 MnCl 4 and (C 25 H 22 P) 2 MnBr 4 , with tunable thickness from 0.12 mm to 0.72 mm were designed and used directly in the X-ray imaging. The high light yield of 56,457 and 78,937 photons/MeV and high spatial resolution exceeding 20 lp/mm demonstrates the great potential of large size single crystal scintillator screen for commercial high-resolution X-ray imaging applications. [Display omitted] • Inch-sized Mn-based halide single-crystalline films with tunable thickness from 0.12 mm to 0.72 mm were designed and grown. • The inch-size single crystals of (C 25 H 22 P) 2 MnCl 4 and (C 25 H 22 P) 2 MnBr 4 exhibit high light yield of 56457 and 78937 photons/MeV under X-rays. • The (C 25 H 22 P) 2 MnCl 4 and (C 25 H 22 P) 2 MnBr 4 single crystal screens exhibit outstanding spatial resolution of 21.02 and 25.61 lp/mm. Hybrid metal halides are emerging candidates for X-ray imaging. Due to the poor uniformity, low transmittance and high light scattering of polycrystalline film scintillator screen, resulting in low resolution of X-ray imaging, it is essential a challenging to explore new large-area and single crystal scintillator with high light yield and high resolution. Herein, inch-sized Mn-based halide single crystals, (C 25 H 22 P) 2 MnCl 4 and (C 25 H 22 P) 2 MnBr 4 , with tunable thickness films from 0.12 mm to 0.72 mm were designed and grown. The crystals of (C 25 H 22 P) 2 MnCl 4 and (C 25 H 22 P) 2 MnBr 4 with high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 62.42 % and 99.10 % exhibit high light yield of 56,457 and 78,937 photons/MeV under X-ray, which is 1.7 and 2.37 times higher than that of the commercial LYSO scintillator. Both the crystals show high X-ray radiation resistance even exposed to X-ray for 60 mins with a high dose rate of 504 mGy s−1. The high photochemical stability under the continuous UV and X-ray irradiation contributes them towards X‑ray imaging. With such significant merits, the high spatial resolutions about 21.02 and 25.61 lp/mm are achieved on the (C 25 H 22 P) 2 MnCl 4 and (C 25 H 22 P) 2 MnBr 4 single crystal films, which demonstrates the great potential of large size single crystal screen for commercial high-resolution X-ray imaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]