Microbial community succession in raw milk determines its quality and storage period. In this study, carbon dioxide (CO2) at 2000 ppm was used to treat raw milk to investigate the mechanism of extending the shelf life of raw milk by CO2 treatment from the viewpoint of microbial colonies and metabolites. The results showed that the shelf life of CO2-treated raw milk was extended to 16 days at 4 ℃, while that of the control raw milk was only 6 days. Microbiomics analysis identified 221 Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) in raw milk, and the alpha diversity of microbial communities increased (P < 0.05) with the extension of storage time. Among them, Pseudomonas, Actinobacteria and Serratia were the major microbial genus responsible for the deterioration of raw milk, with a percentage of 85.7%. A combined metagenomics and metabolomics analysis revealed that microorganisms altered the levels of metabolites, such as pyruvic acid, glutamic acid, 5'- cmp, arginine, 2-propenoic acid, and phenylalanine in the raw milk through metabolic activities, such as ABC transporters, pyrimidine metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism and phenylalanine metabolism, and reduced the shelf life of the raw milk. CO2 treatment prolonged the shelf life of the raw milk by inhibiting the abundance of Gram-negative aerobic bacteria, such as Acinetobacter guillouiae, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Serratia liquefaciens and Pseudomonas simiae.

To realize fast and effective synthetic aperture radar (SAR) deception jamming, a high-quality SAR deception jamming template library can be generated by performing sample augmentation on SAR deception jamming templates. However, current sample augmentation schemes of SAR deception jamming templates face certain problems. First, the authenticity of templates is low due to the lack of speckle noise. Second, the generated templates have low similarity to the target and shadow areas of the input templates. To solve these problems, this study proposes a sample augmentation scheme based on generative adversarial networks, which can generate a high-quality library of SAR deception jamming templates with shadows. The proposed scheme solves the two aforementioned problems from the following aspects. First, the influence of the speckle noise is considered in the network to avoid the problem of reduced authenticity in generated images. Second, a channel attention mechanism module is used to improve the network's learning ability of shadow features, which improves the similarity between the generated template and the shadow area in the input template. Finally, the proposed scheme and the SinGAN scheme are compared regarding the equivalent numbers of looks and the structural similarity between the target and shadow in the sample augmentation results. The comparison results demonstrate that, compared to the templates generated by the SinGAN scheme, those generated by the proposed scheme have targets and shadow features similar to those of the original image, and can incorporate speckle noise characteristics, resulting in higher authenticity, which helps to achieve fast and effective SAR deception jamming.

In view of increasing concerns over non-renewable resource depletion and waste management, this study aimed to apply the Taguchi optimization technique to determine the process conditions for producing bricks by incorporating thin film transition liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCD) waste glass powder with reservoir sediments. An orthogonal array L₁₆(4⁵) was adopted, which consisted of five controllable four-level factors (i.e., cullet content, drying method, preheat time, sintering temperature, and error). Moreover, the analysis of variance method was used to explore the effects of the experimental factors on the density, water absorption, shrinkage ratio, loss of ignition, porosity, and compressive strength of the fired bricks. The microstructures of the fired specimens were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. Then, the large-scale production techniques for fired bricks containing recycled TFT-LCD glass cullet and reservoir sediments was developed in a commercially available tunnel kiln. The test results showed that the structure of fired specimen was loose at a sintering temperature ranged from 900–950 °C. However, the fired specimen showed a significant densification at the sintering temperature of 1050 °C. In addition, Taguchi method is a feasible approach for optimizing process condition of brick using recycled TFT-LCD glass cullet and reservoir sediments and it significantly reduces the number of tests. On the other hand, the characteristics of fired bricks developed in the tunnel kiln were in compliance with Chinese National Standards class Ι building bricks criteria.

Concrete cracks and local damage can affect the bond performance between concrete and steel bars, thereby reducing the durability of reinforced concrete structures. Compared with general concrete crack repair methods, biomineralization repair not only has effective bonding capabilities but is also particularly environmentally friendly. In view of this, this study aimed to apply biomineralization technology to repair damaged fiber-reinforced lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC). Two groups of LWAC specimens were prepared. The control group used lightweight aggregates (LWAs) without bacterial spores and nutrient sources, and the experimental group used LWAs containing bacterial spores and nutrient sources. These specimens were first subjected to compression tests and pull-out tests, respectively, and thus were damaged. After the damaged specimen healed itself in different ways for 28 days, secondary compression and pull-out tests were conducted. The self-healing method of the control group involved placing the specimens in an incubator. The experimental group was further divided into experimental group I and experimental group II. The self-healing method of experimental group I was the same as that of the control group. The self-healing method of experimental group II involved soaking the specimen in a mixed solution of urea and calcium acetate for two days, and then taking it out and placing it in an incubator for two days, with a cycle of four days. The test results showed that, compared with the control group specimens, the relative bond strength ratio of the experimental group II specimens increased by 17.9%. Moreover, the EDS and XRD analysis results confirmed that the precipitate formed at the crack was calcium carbonate, which improved the compressive strength and bond strength after self-healing. This indicates that the biomineralization maintenance method used in experimental group II is more effective.

Oriental lacquer, a natural and renewable polymeric coating, comes from the sap produced by lacquer trees. For practical application, oriental lacquer must be refined to reduce excess water and enhance its quality. In this study, drying oils were blended with oriental lacquer during the refining process to prepare an oil-modified refined lacquer (OMRL). The type and adding amount (0, 10, and 20% by wt.) of drying oils for wood coatings utilization were evaluated. Rhus succedanea oriental lacquer is composed of 54.1% urushiols, 34.3% water, 7.2% plant gum, and 4.4% nitrogenous compounds, and drying oils, including tung oil (TO), linseed oil (LO), and dehydrated castor oil (DCO) were used as materials in this study. The results show that the drying oil acts as a diluent, which reduces the viscosity and enhances the workability and could shorten the touch-free drying time and speed up the hardened drying of the OMRL. The results also indicate that the hardness, mass retention, Tg, tensile strength, abrasion resistance, and lightfastness of OMRL films decrease as more drying oils are blended. Conversely, the bending resistance, elongation at break, impact resistance increase, and particularly, the gloss, is greatly improved through the blending of more drying oils. In conclusion, the LO-modified refined lacquer (RL) has the highest film gloss and the DCO-modified RL has the shortest drying time for coating; otherwise, the film properties are similar among the three types of drying oil.

Directed energy deposition (DED) is an efficient method to fabricate functionally graded materials (FGMs) with gradient composition and complex structures, allowing for local tailoring of properties instead of the costly need for extraneous welds and joints. In this study, a FGM from stainless steel to Inconel alloy was successfully fabricated using the powder-based laser DED. A very refined grain structure has been observed in at the composition with 75 wt.% Inconel alloy content, which also exhibits the highest (entropy). For the first time, the post heat treatments, microstructure and aging precipitation behaviors of FGMs were systematically studied via experimental characterization and computation, to elucidate their effects on the gradient smoothing and mechanical properties. The diffusion and segregation of Ni, Nb and Ti elements underly the transformation mechanism between Laves, δ, γ’ and γ’’ phases during precipitation. Homogenization on FGMs not only eliminates the heterogeneity inherited from the AM process, but also provides a practical way to smoothen the gradient on composition and microstructure for the eventual good gradient properties. It has a direct influence on the following precipitation behaviors in the FGM, which highly relies on the diffusion degree of the elements in the matrix and grain boundaries. The high-throughput thermodynamic modeling and kinetic modeling were exploited to evaluate the experimental microstructure and address computational uncertainty using different thermodynamic conditions and databases, which enables an accelerated design through local tailoring of process-structure-property relationships to develop new functional materials.

The International Roughness Index (IRI) is the standard scale for evaluating road roughness in many countries in the world. The Taipei City government actively promotes a Road Smoothing Project and plans to complete the rehabilitation of the main and minor roads within its jurisdiction. This study aims to detect the road surface roughness in Taipei City and recommend appropriate IRI thresholds for road rehabilitation. A total of 171 asphalt concrete pavement sections in Taipei City with a total length of 803.49 km were analyzed and compared by IRI. The longitudinal profile of the detected road sections was measured using an inertial profiler. The statistical analysis showed that the IRI value prior to road leveling was mainly distributed between 5 and 8 m/km, while the IRI value after road leveling was mainly distributed between 3 and 4.5 m/km. This confirms that the implementation of the Road Smoothing Project has a significant effect on improving road smoothness. Moreover, based on the analysis results, it is recommended that the IRI threshold value for road rehabilitation in Taipei City be set at 4.50 m/km.

Taxanes, particularly docetaxel (DTX), has been widely used for combination therapy of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). For locally advanced unresectable HNSCC, DTX combined with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil as a revolutionary treatment revealed an advantage in improvement of patient outcome. In addition. DTX plus immune check inhibitors (ICIs) showed low toxicity and increased response of patients with recurrent or metastatic HNSCC (R/M HNSCC). Accumulating data indicate that taxanes not only function as antimitotics but also impair diverse oncogenic signalings including angiogenesis, inflammatory response, ROS production, and apoptosis induction. However, despite an initial response, development of resistance remains a major obstacle to treatment response. Taxane resistance could result from intrinsic mechanisms such as enhanced DNA/RNA damage repair, increased drug efflux, and apoptosis inhibition, and extrinsic effects such as angiogenesis and interactions between tumor cells and immune cells. This review provides an overview of taxanes therapy applied in different stages of HNSCC and describe the mechanisms of taxane resistance in HNSCC. Through a detailed understanding the mechanisms of resistance may help developing the potential therapeutic methods and the effective combination strategies to overcome drug resistance.

This study aimed to compare the differences in durability and prestress loss between normal-weight concrete (NC) and lightweight aggregate concrete (LWC) prestressed box girders, which were constructed at the same time in the same area, so as to verify the superiority of using synthetic lightweight aggregate (LWA) made from reservoir sediments in prestressed bridges. For the NCs and LWCs used in prestressed box girders, the basic mechanical properties were tested on the one hand, and the durability properties were tested on the other hand. Then, through the prestress monitoring system, the prestress loss of the two groups of the prestressed box girders was tracked. The results of the durability test confirmed that LWC can inhibit the penetration of air, water, and chloride ions by strengthening the interfacial transition zone between the aggregate and the cement paste, thereby improving its durability. Moreover, the magnetic flux prestress loss of the NC prestressed box girder reached 8.1%. In contrast, the magnetic flux prestress losses on both sides of the LWC prestressed box girder were 4.6% and 4.9%, respectively. This verified that, under the same environmental conditions, the use of LWC produced less of a prestress loss than the use of NC.

More than 50% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are treated with radiotherapy (RT) during different phases of treatment. However, radiation pneu-monitis (RP) and resistance often lead to RT failure in NSCLC patients. JWA, a tumor suppressor gene, is known to enhance DNA damage in gastric cancer cells while protect normal cells from DNA damage induced by cisplatin. Recently, we have re-ported that JWA agonist compound 4 (JAC4) effectively protects intestinal epithelium from RT triggered damage in mice. However, the potential synergistic and attenuated effects of JAC4 in chest RT of lung cancer are not been illuminated. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of JAC4 on the radiotoxicities of both NSCLC and normal lung tissue. CCK-8 and colony formation assays showed that JAC4 played a bidirectional role in radiation-treated SPCA-1 and BEAS-2B cells. Western blotting and immunofluorescence assays showed that JAC4 in combination with RT increased DNA damage and apoptosis in SPCA-1 cells, while the opposite effect was observed in BEAS-2B cells. Mechanistically, JAC4 inhibited homologous recombination repair (HR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) in SPCA-1 cells, but not in normal cells. JAC4 increased antioxidant capacity, and reduced oxidative stress and inhibited nu-clear factor Kappa-B (NF-κB, P65) translocation to the nucleus in BEAS-2B cells. Im-portantly, the bidirectional roles of JAC4 on RT were reversed by siJWA in both SPCA-1 and BEAS-2B cells. Finally, the bidirectional effects of JAC4 in combination with RT were further validated in NSCLC xenograft model mice. In conclusion, JAC4 enhanced effect of RT on tumor growth while alleviated RP and lung injury. Our re-sults may provide new strategy for optimizing RT regimen for NSCLC.

Surface finishing is challenging for additively manufactured components with complex geometries. Magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF) is a promising surface finishing technology that can refine the surface quality of components with complex shapes produced by additive manufacturing. However, there is insufficient study regarding the impact of MAF on microstructure-property relationships for additively manufactured builds, which is critical for evaluating the mechanical performance. Furthermore, although MAF is usually used as the final step of post-processing, it remains unclear whether adjusting the sequence between MAF and other processes, e.g., heat treatment, can potentially improve the mechanical performance. In this work, the effects of MAF on the microstructure and mechanical property evolution of Inconel 718 superalloys made by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) were studied. The application of MAF was found to significantly reduce the surface roughness of alloys and refine the grain size of aged samples. Moreover, MAF is able to increase the elongation of materials, which can be further influenced by the sequence of MAF and different heat treatments. The highest elongation can be achieved when MAF is performed between homogenization and aging processes. This work demonstrated a promising solution to improving the performance of LPBF Inconel 718 by combining MAF and heat treatment, which provides new perspectives on the post-processing development of additively manufactured alloys for advanced mechanical properties.

Common root rot caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana infestation of wheat is one of the main reasons of yield reduction in wheat crops worldwide. In current study, strain JK-25 was isolated from soil of wheat rhizosphere and identified as Bacillus halotolerans based on morphological, physiological, biochemical characteristics and molecular identification. The strain showed significant antagonism to B.sorokiniana and broad-spectrum resistance to Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium graminearum and Rhizoctonia zeae. Inhibition of Bipolaris sorokiniana mycelial dry weight and spore germination rate by JK-25 fermentation supernatant reached 60% and 88% respectively. The crude extract of JK-25 was found by MALDI-TOF-MS to contain the surfactin that exerted an inhibitory effect on B.sorokiniana. The disruption of mycelial cell membranes was observed under microscopy (LSCM) after treatment of B.sorokiniana mycelium with the crude extract. The antioxidant enzyme activity of B.sorokiniana was significantly reduced and the oxidation product MDA content increased after treatment with the crude extract. The incidence of root rot was significantly reduced in pot experiments with the addition of JK-25 culture ferment, which had a significant biological control effect of 72.06%. Its ability to produce siderophores may help to promote wheat growth, and the production of proteases and pectinases may also be part of the strain's role in suppressing pathogens. These results demonstrate the excellent antagonistic effect of JK-25 against B.sorokiniana and suggest that this strain has great potential as a resource for biological control of wheat root rot strains.

A novel five-surface phosphor-in-ceramic (FS-PiC) for high illumination and excellent color uniformity in larger-scale LEDs for sensor light source application is demonstrated. YAG phosphor (Y3Al5O12:Ce3+) was uniformly mixed with ceramic and sintered at 680°C to form a phosphor wafer. A sophisticated laser engraving was employed on the phosphor wafer to form a saddle-shaped large-scale FS-PiC LEDs. The performance of the FS-PiC LEDs exhibited the illumination of 401lm, average color temperature (CCT) of 5488K±110K, and color coordinates (CIE) of (0.3179±0.003, 0.3352±0.003). In contrast to convention single-surface phosphor-in-ceramic (SS-PiC) LEDs, the performance exhibited the illumination of 380lm, average CCT of 5830K±758K, and CIE of (0.3083±0.07, 0.3172±0.07). These indicated that the performance of the FS-PiC LEDs was higher than the SS-PiC LEDs for illumination, CCT, and CIE of 1.1, 7, and 23 times, respectively. Furthermore, the FS-PiC LEDs demonstrate lower lumen loss of 2% and less chromaticity shift of 5.4x10-3 under accelerated aging at 350°C for 1008 hours, owing to the high ceramic melting temperature of up to 510°C. In this study, the proposed FS-PiC larger-scale LEDs having excellent optical performance and high reliability may be the promising candidates to replace the convention phosphor-in-organic silicone material used in high-power LEDs for the next generation of sensor light sources, display, and headlight applications.

Effect of abrasive shape on the three-body abrasion behaviors of monocrystalline silicon was investigated by Molecular dynamics modelling. The axial ratio of abrasive particle was varied from 1.00, i.e., a complete sphere, to 0.40 to mimic abrasive shape. The particle’s movement turns toward sliding from rolling when the axial ratio becomes less than a critical value 0.46. In the abrasion process, the friction force and normal force showed an approximately sinusoid-like fluctuation for the rolling ellipsoidal particles, while the front cutting of particle caused that friction force increased and became larger than normal force for sliding particles. The phase transformation process was tracked under different particle’ movement patterns. The Si-II and Bct5 phase producing in loading process can partially transform to Si-III/Si-XII phase and backtrack to original crystal silicon under pressure release, which also occurred in the abrasion process. The secondary phase transformation showed difference for particles’ rolling and sliding movements after three-body abrasion. The rolling of particle induced the periodical and inhomogeneous deformation of substrates, while the sliding benefited producing high-quality surface in CMP process. This study aiming to construct more precise model to understand the wear mechanism benefits evaluating the MEMS wear and CMP process of crystal materials.

In a global context, the story of the Jesuit compound in Shanghai, since its establishment by French Jesuits in 1847, reflected not only conflicts between rival powers in Europe but also the fight for their interests in the Eastern world. The Pope, who was stuck without legal status in the Vatican after 1861, was also seeking the chance to save the authority of the Church in the face of questions regarding the extent of his temporal power and the status of Rome in the context of Italian unification. As in the Reformation, a break-through in the east seemed to offer a solution for losses in Europe. However, the Jesuits to the East in the late 19th century were not only troops working and fighting on behalf of the Pope; their identities under the French Protectorate added complexity to an already complicated story involving not just the Church, but the course of world history.The female Catholic orders at the east bank of Zi-ka-wei compound became a unique window to approach the complexity.

Bone drilling is a common procedure used to create pilot holes for inserting screws to secure implants for fracture fixation. However, dis process can increase bone temperature, teh excessive heat can lead to cell death and thermal osteonecrosis, potentially causing early fixation failure or complications. We conducted a three-dimensional dynamic elastoplastic finite element model to evaluate teh propagation and distribution of heat during bone drilling and assess teh thermally TEMPeffected zone (TAZ) dat may lead to thermal necrosis. dis model investigates teh parameters influencing bone temperature during bone drilling, including drill diameter, rotational speed, feed force, and predrilled hole. Teh results indicate dat our FE model is sufficiently accurate in predicting teh temperature rise TEMPeffect during bone drilling. Teh maximum temperature decreases exponentially wif radial distance. When teh feed forces are 40 and 60 N, teh maximum temperature does not exceed 45 °C. However, wif feed forces of 10 and 20 N, both teh maximum temperature exceeds 45 °C wifin a radial distance of 0.2 mm, indicating a high-risk zone for potential thermal osteonecrosis. Wif teh two-stage drilling procedure, where a 2.5 mm pilot hole is pre-drilled, teh maximum temperature can be reduced by 14 °C. dis suggests dat higher feed force and rotational speed and/or using a two-stage drilling process could mitigate bone temperature elevation and reduce teh risk of thermal osteonecrosis during bone drilling.

The string of bacteria, Vibrio. sp. QD-5 utilizing alginate, was separated from rotten kelp. The results of genome sequencing showed that the strain QD-5 contained four alginate lyase genes.One of the alginate genes Aly-IV was cloned and linked to the plasmid pET-22b (+). The heterologous expressed alginate lyase aly-IVwas characterized，which possessed the theoretical molecular mass of 62 kDa, and theoretical isoelectric point (pI) of 5.12. - The enzyme aly-IV was purified and the activity reached 1256.78 U/mg, with optimal temperature of 35 ^oC and pH value of 8.9. Nurtured in the temperature below 25 ^oC for 30 minutes, the activity was almost stable. The result also suggested that the activity of enzyme was strongly affected by - NaCl whose optimal concentration was 15 mM in a lab environment The TLC and ESI-TOF-MS analysis suggested that the enzyme aly-IV could degrade sodium alginate and polyG in endo-lytic type, producing monomer, dimer and trimmer. So, aly-IV can also be widely applied to make large scale preparation of alginate oligosaccharides with low degree of polymerization (DP).

Distributed electric propulsion technology has great potential and advantage in the development of drones. In this paper, to study the slipstream effect of distributed propeller, the actuator disk method was used to verify a single propeller, and the calculated thrust was in good agreement with the test results. Then, based on the actuator disk method, the influence of different installation positions on the slipstream effect was studied, and the distributed propeller layout was optimized by genetic algorithm. The analysis results showed that lift of the wing will be larger when the propellers are higher than the wing. When the relative height between the propeller and the wing is zero, the drag is the lowest. The influence of disk diameter on the slipstream is that the larger the diameter is, the higher the lift force and the drag force are. The slipstream effect of the optimized propeller distribution improves the lift-drag ratio of the wing, by 108.5% in the initial lift-drag ratio.

This study aimed to use biomineralization technology to improve the bond strength of fiber-reinforced lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) after exposure to temperatures of 300 °C and 500 °C. The specimens of a control group (Group A) and two experimental groups (Group B and Group C) were prepared. These specimens healed themselves in different ways after exposure to high temperatures and pull-out tests. The self-healing method of Group A involved placing the specimen into an incubator. The self-healing method of Group B was the same as that of Group A. The self-healing method of Group C involved immersing the specimen in a mixed solution of urea and calcium acetate for two days, then taking it out and placing it in an incubator for two days. A cycle of four days was undertaken until the desired age was reached. After the specimens were healed to the planned age, the first and secondary pull-out tests and repair compound identification were carried out. After exposure to a temperature of 300 °C and self-healing for 90 days, compared with the specimens in Group A, the relative bond strength ratios of the secondary pull-out tests of the specimens in Group C increased by 20.3%. This indicates that biomineralization can effectively improve the bond strength of LWAC after high-temperature damage.

Most of the current methods for stabilizing electric arc furnace (EAF) slag are time-consuming and cannot be completely stabilized. In view of this, this study aimed to apply microbial‑induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) technology in the stabilization of EAF reducing slag, and this was to be achieved by using the reaction between carbonate ions and free calcium oxide (f-CaO) in reducing slag to form a more stable calcium carbonate to achieve the purpose of stabilization. The test results showed that, when the EAF reducing slag aggregates (ERSAs) were immersed in Bacillus pasteurii bacteria solution or water, the f-CaO contained in it would react such that stabilization was achieved. The titration test results showed that the f-CaO content of the ERSAs immersed in the bacterial solution and water decreased. The expansion test results of the ERSAs that were subjected to hydration showed that the seven-day expansion of ERSAs after biomineralization could meet the Taiwan regulation requirement of a less than 0.5% expansion rate. The thermogravimetric analysis showed that both the experimental group and the control group might contain calcium carbonate compounds. The results of the X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the CaCO3 content in the ERSAs that were immersed in the bacterial solution was significantly higher than those that were immersed in water. Moreover, the compressive strength test results of concrete prepared with ERSAs showed that the compressive strength of the control group concrete began to decline after 28 days. In contrast, the experimental group concrete had a good stabilization effect, and there was no decline in compressive strength until the age of 180 days. At the age of 240 days, the surface cracks of the experimental group were particularly small, while the surface of the control group showed obvious cracks. These results confirmed that a mineralization reaction with B. pasteurii bacteria could be used as a stabilization technology for ERSAs.

The teaching and learning environment have changed significantly over the last decade with the integration of an increasing amount of information and communication technologies, especially in distance education due to global pandemics, total lockdowns, isolation, and quarantine periods. The number of numerous virtual and non-virtual tools involved in educational processes is growing day by day. In terms of technological innovations used in learning environments, many researchers and educators are trying their best to bring more creative ideas into the technology- based learning environments. Although higher educational institutions have greatly benefited from the growing number of hardware and software resources in the educational process, they have also faced some setbacks that have harmed the learning processes. These technologies have in turn complicated some of the processes in the learning atmosphere. Therefore, we take Spanish teaching course as an example to present the challenging smarter teaching and learning systems that higher educational institutions face today.

Our previous retrospective observational study demonstrated the safety of laparoscopically assisted subtotal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis and preservation of the superior rectal artery (SRA), without instances of leakage, in patients with slow-transit constipation (STC). Thus, we extended the enrollment period and enlarged the sample size to detect the differences in the post-operative complications, and surgical and functional outcomes between patients who underwent laparoscopically assisted subtotal colectomy with and without SRA preservation. We conducted a retrospective single-center analysis of patients with STC who underwent laparoscopically assisted subtotal colectomy between 2016 and 2020. The diagnosis of STC was based on the colonic transit and anal functional tests, and barium enema to exclude secondary causes. Patients were divided into group A that underwent surgery with SRA preservation, and group B that underwent ligation of the SRA during surgery. Outcome assessments for both groups included the incidence of anastomotic breakdown, intraoperative complications, length of hospital stay, estimated blood loss, time to first flatus, and complications. Propensity-score matching allocated 34 patients to groups A and B each. Postoperative bowel function, including time to first flatus, stool, and oral intake, recovered better in group A than that in group B. Anastomotic leakage, a significant postoperative complication, was less frequent in patients with SRA preservation. Preservation of the SRA in patients undergoing laparoscopically assisted subtotal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis for STC is associated with favorable postoperative bowel function recovery and lower anastomotic leakage rates.

The co-occurrence of depression and obesity has become a significant public health concern worldwide. Recent studies have shown that metabolic dysfunction, which is commonly observed in obese individuals and characterized by inflammation, insulin resistance, leptin resistance, and hypertension, is a critical risk factor for depression. This dysfunction may induce structural and functional changes in the brain, ultimately contributing to depression's development. Given that obesity and depression mutually increase each other's risk of development by 50-60%, there is a need for effective interventions that address both conditions. The comorbidity of depression with obesity and metabolic dysregulation is thought to be related to chronic low-grade inflammation, characterized by increased circulating levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and C-reactive protein (CRP). As pharmacotherapy fails in at least 30-40% of cases to adequately treat major depressive disorder, a nutritional approach is emerging as a promising alternative. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) are a promising dietary intervention that can reduce inflammatory biomarkers, particularly in patients with high levels of inflammation, including pregnant women with gestational diabetes, patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and overweight individuals with major depressive disorder. Further effort directed to implement these strategies in clinical practice could contribute to improved outcomes in patients with depression and comorbid obesity and/or metabolic dysregulation.

Hypochlorite (ClO−) and viscosity both affect the physiological state of mitochondria, and their abnormal levels are closely related to many common diseases. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop a mitochondria-targeting fluorescent probes for the dual sensing of ClO− and viscosity. Herein, we have explored a new fluorescent probe XTAP−Bn, which responds sensitively to ClO− and viscosity with off-on fluorescence changes at 558 and 765 nm, respectively. Because the emission wavelength gap is more than 200 nm, XTAP−Bn can effectively eliminate the signal crosstalk during the simultaneous detection of ClO− and viscosity. In addition, XTAP−Bn exhibits a series of advantages, including high selectivity, rapid response, good water solubility, low cytotoxicity, and excellent mitochondrial targeting ability. More importantly, probe XTAP−Bn has been successfully employed to monitor the dynamic change of ClO− and viscosity levels in mitochondria of living cells and zebrafish. Taken together, this work not only provides a reliable tool for identifying mitochondrial dysfunction, but also offers a potential approach for the early diagnosis of mitochondrial-related diseases.

The Brassica family contains several economically important crops, including rapeseed (Brassica napus, 2n = 38, AACC), the second largest source of seed oil and protein meal worldwide. However, research in rapeseed is hampered because it is complicated and time-consuming for researchers to access different types of expression data. We therefore developed the Brassica Expression Database (BrassicaEDB, https://biodb.swu.edu.cn/brassica/) for the research community. We conducted RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) of 103 tissues from rapeseed cultivar ZhongShuang11 (ZS11) at seven developmental stages (seed germination, seedling, bolting, initial flowering, full-bloom, podding, and maturation). We determined the expression patterns of 101,040 genes via FPKM analysis and displayed the results using the eFP browser. We also analyzed transcriptome data for rapeseed from 70 BioProjects in the SRA database and obtained three types of expression level data (FPKM, TPM, and read counts). We used this information to develop the BrassicaEDB, including eFP, Treatment, Coexpression, and SRA Project modules based on gene expression profiles and Gene Feature, qPCR Primer, and BLAST modules based on gene sequences. The BrassicaEDB provides comprehensive gene expression profile information and a user-friendly visualization interface for Brassica crop researchers. Using this database, researchers can quickly retrieve the expression level data for target genes in different tissues and in response to different treatments to elucidate gene functions and explore the biology of rapeseed at the transcriptome level.

Keywords: Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, baculovirus surface display vectors, neutralizing antibody, IFN-γ, IL-4.

In human body, carboxylesterases (CEs) play the crucial roles in xenobiotic metabolism and lipid homeostasis. But the abnormal CEs expression is highly associated with some diseases, such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes and liver cancer. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop an efficient tool for the accurate detection of CEs in living organisms. Herein, an innovative near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe TTAP−AB has been designed for CEs detection based on aggregation-induced emission (AIE) mechanism. This probe exhibits rapid response (2 min), excellent sensitivity (limit of detection = 8.14×10−6 U/mL), and high selectivity towards CEs. Additionally, owing to the good biocompatibility, probe TTAP−AB enables to monitor the dynamic changes of CEs level under drug-induced modulation in living cells and zebrafish. More importantly, probe TTAP−AB is successfully employed to image the liver tumor and assist tumor resection by the real-time monitoring of CEs, indicating that TTAP−AB is promising to guide liver cancer surgery. Therefore, probe TTAP−AB can not only enrich the strategies for CEs detection in biological systems, but also has great potential for some clinical imaging applications, including medical diagnosis, preclinical research, and imaging-guided surgery.

Water area segmentation in remote sensing is of great importance for flood monitoring. To overcome some challenges in this task, we construct the Water Index and Polarization Information (WIPI) multi-modality dataset and propose a multi-Modality Fusion and Gated multi-Filter U-Net (MFGF-UNet) convolutional neural network. The WIPI dataset enhances the water information and reduces the data dimension. In particular, the Cloud-Free label provided in the database effectively mitigates the issue of scarcity of labeled samples Since a single form or uniform kernel size cannot handle the variety in size and shape of water bodies, we proposed the gated multi-filter inception (GMF-Inception) module in our MFGF-UNet. Moreover, we utilize the attention mechanism by introducing the Gated Channel Transform (GCT) skip connection and integrating GCT into GMF- Inception to further improve model performance. Extensive experiments on three benchmarks, including WIPI, Chengdu and GF2020 datasets demonstrate that our method achieves favorable performance with lower complexity and better robustness against six competing approaches. For example, on WIPI, Chengdu and GF2020 datasets, the proposed MFGF-UNet model achieves F1 of 0.9191, 0.7410, and 0.8421, respectively, which average F1 on three datasets is 0.0045 higher than the U-Net model and reduces 62% average GFLOPs. New WIPI dataset, code and trained models have been released on GitHub

This work aims to develop an integrated fault location and restoration approach for microgrids (MGs). This work contains two parts. Part I presents the fault location algorithm, and Part II shows the restoration algorithm. The proposed algorithms are implemented by particle swarm optimization (PSO). The fault location algorithm is based on network connection matrices, which are the modifications of bus-injection to branch-current and branch-current to bus-voltage (BCBV) matrices, to form the new system topology. The backward/forward sweep approach is used for the prefault power flow analysis. After the occurrence of fault, the voltage variation at each bus is calculated by using the Zbus modification algorithm to modify Zbus. Subsequently, the voltage error matrix is computed to search for the fault section by using PSO. After the allocation of the fault section, the multi-objective function is implemented by PSO for optimal restoration with its constraints. Finally, the IEEE 37-bus test system connected to distributed generations is utilized as the sample system for a series simulation and analysis. The outcomes demonstrated that the proposed optimal algorithm can effectively solve the fault location and restoration problem in MGs.

It was believed that the construction of large dams in the upper tributary basin of the Chao Phraya River (CPR) has caused sediment load reduction in the CPR system by 75–85%. Based on historical and observed river flow and sediment data measured during 1922–2019, we investigated the effects of three large dams, the Sirikit, Naresuan, and Khwae Noi dams, on river runoff and sediment loads supplied to the CPR using Mann-Kendall (MK) test and the double mass curve (DMC). Results from this study revealed that the Nan River contributed approximately 40% and 57% of the runoff and total sediment load (TSL) to the CPR, respectively. The water regulation by the Naresuan diversion dam has mainly caused the reduction on annual runoff and TSL downstream of each dam. The results from this study also reveal that the sediment load observed at the headwater (C.2) of the CPR still increased after the construction of the Sirikit dam due to the expansion of irrigation areas downstream of the dam and the channel improvement in the lower reach of Nan River. After the three major dams were operated, the sediment load at C.2 reduced by 31% compared that discharging during the pre-construction period.

Background: Strengthening adherence to self-care behaviors in patients with periodontal disease (PD) and reducing plaque index is crucial for improving PD treatment. We evaluated the effectiveness of a theory of planned behavior (TPB)-based health education intervention involving planning strategy on self-care behaviors in patients with PD. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted; 158 and 139 patients comprised the experimental group (EG) and control group (CG), respectively. Both groups received a leaflet, and the EG also received a planning intervention, which was a brief one-on-one counseling session with a planning sheet. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: Between-group comparisons of TPB measures revealed significant differences in all domains when controlling for baseline covariates. The EG exhibited significantly higher levels of action and coping planning than the CG at 2-week follow-up (effect size (ES) = 5.54 and 5.57, respectively) and 6-week follow-up (ES = 5.66 and 5.66, respectively). Between-group differences in changes of brushing behaviors increased significantly. More frequent use of dental floss was observed in the EG than in the CG at 2-week and 6-week follow-ups (24.7% and 22.8%, respectively). Conclusions: The intervention involving planning strategy effectively promoted adherence to self-care behaviors in patients with PD.

Background: Accurate prediction of patients’ response to therapy is clinically indispensable, howbeit challenging. With increased understanding of the human genome and malignancies, there is the renaissance of in silico pharmacogenomics with renewed interest in drug response predictability based on gene-drug interaction. Objective: Evidence-based transcript-proteome profiling is essential for synthesizing clinically applicable algorithms for predicting response to anticancer therapy, including immune checkpoint blockade (ICBT); thus, saving physicians’ time, reducing polypharmacy, and curtailing unnecessary treatment expense. In this study, we tested and validated the hypothesis that a selected proteomic signature in ICBT-naïve patients is sufficient for the prediction of response to ICBT. Methods: Using a multimodal approach consisting of computational pharmacogenomics, transcript-proteome analytics, mathematical modeling, and machine learning systems; we delineated therapy-sensitivity and stratified patients into graduated response groups based on their proteomic profile. Protein expression levels in our cohort tissue specimens were evaluated based on T cell- and non-T cell- inflamed phenotypes by immunohistochemistry. Results: We established β-catenin, PDL1, CD3 and CD8 expression-based ICBT response model. Statistical regression models validated the predictive association between our predefined algorithms and therapeutic outcome. Interestingly, our 4-gene prediction classifier was constitutively independent of tumor tissue origin, correctly stratified patients into high-, low-, and non- responders pre-treatment, with high prediction accuracy, and exhibited good association with patients’ performance status and prognosis (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate the possibility of accurate proteomics based ICBT response prediction and provide a putative basis for drug response prediction based on selective proteome profile in untreated cancer patients.

Strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora is one of the main diseases of strawberry and significantly impacts the yield and quality of strawberry fruit. There are now no effective control techniques available except for fungicide sprays, which may directly impact consumers. Biological control is becoming an alternative method for the control of plant diseases to replace or decrease the application of traditional synthetic chemical fungicides. Trichoderma is widely used as a biological agent for controlling strawberry root rot. In order to provide resources for screening the highly effective biocontrol fungus for controlling strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora, the biocontrol mechanism,the control effects of Trichoderma asperellum CMT10 against strawberry root rot and growth-promoting effects on strawberry seedlings were investigated by plate culture, microscopy observation and root drenching methods.The results showed that CMT10 had obvious competitive, antibiotic and hyperparasitism effects on Neopestalotiopsis clavispora CMGF3. The CMT10 could quickly occupy nutritional space, and the inhibition rates of CMT10 against CMGF3 in confrontation culture on 7 d was 65.49%. The inhibition rates of volatile metabolite and fermentation metabolite produced by CMT10 against CMGF3 were 79.67% and 69.84%, respectively. The mycelium of strain CMT10 can act as hyperparasites by making contacting, winding and penetrating hyphae of CMGF3. Pot experiment showed that the biocontrol efficacy of CMT10 on strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora was 63.00%. CMT10 had obvious promotion effect on strawberry growth, the plant height, root length, total fresh weight, root fresh weight, stem fresh weight and root dry weight, with the promotion rates were 20.09%, 22.39%, 87.11%, 101.58%, 79.82% and 72.33%, respectively. Overall, this study showed the ability of Trichoderma asperellum CMT10 to control strawberry root rot and their potential to develop as novel biocontrol agents to replace chemical fungicides for eco-friendly, sustainable agriculture.

Relay protection service is the most crucial service carried by the electric power communication network, which is directly linked to the safe operation of the power grid. In the route planning of power services, a route planning architecture for the power communication network is constructed in this paper, considering the operation and maintenance requirements, such as relay protection service overload (RPSO) and dual route. To minimize network risk variance, the problem of single-service route allocation is formulated by taking the factors into account such as service delay, link bandwidth utilization, and RPSO constraints. Based on $k$ shortest paths algorithm, a route planning scheme for the power services is proposed, which considers RPSO and risk balance, and a strategy for implementing multi-service route planning of the communication network is studied. The simulation results show that the proposed route planning strategy can effectively avoid relay protection service overload, reduce network risk variance, and balance network risk.

Keywords: mHealth; peritoneal dialysis; functionality; usability

Heterosis plays a significant role in enhancing variety, boosting yield, and raising economic value, but the molecular mechanism is still unclear. We analyzed the transcriptomes and 3D genomes of hybrid (F1) and its parents (w30 and 082). Analysis of the expression revealed a total of 485 specially expressed genes (SEGs), 173 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) above parental expression level, more actively expressed genes and up-regulated DEGs in F1. Further study revealed that the DEGs detected in F1 and its parents were mainly involved in response to auxin, plant hormone signal transduction, DNA metabolic process, Purine metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, which suggested that these biological processes may play a crucial role in the heterosis of B. rapa. The analysis of 3D genome data revealed that hybrid F1 tend to contain more transcriptionally active A compartments after hybridization. Additionally, F1 had a smaller TAD (topologically associated domain) genome length, but the number was the highest, and the expression change of activated TAD was higher than repressed TAD. More specific TAD boundaries were detected between parents and F1. Subsequently, 140 DEGs with genomic structural variants were selected as potential candidate genes. Among them, we found two DEGs with consistent expression changes in A/B compartments and TADs. Our findings suggest that genomic structural variants, such as TADs and A/B compartments, may affect gene expression and contribute to heterosis in B. rapa. This study provides further insight into the molecular mechanism of heterosis in B. rapa.

This paper uses panel data to find the determinants of tracking errors in exchange traded funds (ETFs) in the Hong Kong stock market. A comparison of tracking errors between physical and synthetic ETFs also indicates that the synthetic ETFs have higher tracking errors. The magnitude of tracking errors is found to be negatively related to size but positively related to dividend yield, trading volumes of funds, and market risk. However, this study also finds that expense ratio has a negative impact on tracking error, which is not consistent with previous studies, and which this paper addresses.

The tribology behavior, tribofilm formation and structure evolution of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) filled with α-Al2O3 and SiO2 nanoparticles during sliding against steel counterparts under different loads were studied. It is found that both composites exhibit good wear resistance across the pressure of 1 MPa to 10 MPa, with the α-Al2O3/PTFE composite demonstrates better performance stability compared to the SiO2/PTFE composite. The high wear resistance is attributed to the formation of tribofilms at the friction interface. For the α-Al2O3/PTFE, an island-like tribofilm is formed with a thickness ranging from 100 to 200 nm, while the tribofilm of the SiO2/PTFE composite is thinner, measuring approximately 50 to 100 nm, and manifest a striped pattern. The chemical composition, both at the surface and subsurface levels, as well as the morphology of the tribofilms were studied using FTIR spectrometry, X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and FIB-TEM. It is found that the difference in thickness and microstructure of the tribofilms for the two composites is mainly due to the tribochemistry of the nanoparticles. The α-Al2O3 nanoparticle plays a "cohesion" role during the formation of the tribofilm, which facilitates the formation of a thicker, more uniform, and stronger adhered tribofilm on the metallic counterpart, making it more robust against higher shear stress.

Xinjiang, as a climate-sensitive region in northwest China, holds significant importance in studying extreme weather events for agricultural production and socioeconomic development. Based on data from 52 meteorological stations and 23 extreme climate indicators in Xinjiang from 1960 to 2021, the 5a moving average, linear trend estimation, climate tendency rate, and GIS spatial analysis methods are used to analyze the distribution and change characteristics of extreme climate. The results revealed that from 1960 to 2021, TXx, TNx, TXn, TNn, FD, ID, TN10p, TX10p, and WSDI showed a significant upward trend, while SU, TR, TN90p, TX90p, and CSDI showed a significant downward trend. What is more, the range of changes in the extreme temperature indexes from 1990 to 2021 is higher than that of 1960 to 1989. The high-value areas of extreme indexes are primarily concentrated in the northern part, while the high-value areas of cold event indexes are mainly distributed in the southern part. The upward/downward trends all accounting for over 80.00% of the entire region. The Rx1day, Rx5day, PRCPTOT, R95p, R99p, R10, R20, and R25 showed a significant growth trend from 1960 to 2021, and the range of change in the extreme precipitation indexes from 1990 to 2021 was lower than that from 1960 to 1989. Moreover, their high-value areas and high climate tendency areas are mainly concentrated in the northern and western parts of Xinjiang, with upward trends all accounting for over 71.00% of the entire region. The research results provide theoretical foundations for formulating climate risk strategies in the northwest region of China.

With the advances in industry and commerce, passengers have become more accepting of environmental sustainability issues; thus, more people now choose to travel by bus. Government administration constitutes an important part of bus transportation services as the government gives the right-of-way to transportation companies allowing them to provide services. When these services are of poor quality, passengers may lodge complaints. The increase in consumer awareness and developments in wireless communication technologies have made it possible for passengers to easily and immediately submit complaints about transportation companies to government institutions, which has brought drastic changes to the supply-demand chain comprised of the public sector, transportation companies, and passengers. This study proposed the use of big data analysis technology including systematized case assignment and data visualization to improve management processes in the public sector and optimize customer complaint services. Taichung City, Taiwan was selected as the research area. There, the customer complaint management process in public sector was improved, effectively solving such issues as station-skipping, allowing the public sector to fully grasp the service level of transportation companies, improving the sustainability of bus operations, and supporting the sustainable development of the public sector-transportation company-passenger supply chain.

This paper discusses a significant public-private partnership (PPP) formed by the government and Taiwanese Farmer Associations. Particularly, it will investigate a pattern of the PPP that has successfully promoted rural development and agricultural modernization in Taiwan since 1950s. Taiwanese Farmer Associations (hereafter TFAs), similar to agricultural cooperatives in South Korea and Japan, have played a policy agent in fostering rural development in this island state since 1950s. TFA’s performance inherently came from Japanese Cooperatives before World War II. The Performances of those farmer organizations are combinations of economic, social, and educational synergies. The rural development experiences in Taiwan demonstrate that success of rural modernization is carried out by a special public-private partnership (PPP). First, this paper discusses formation and development of farmer cooperative organizations in East Asian societies and compare the similarities and differences of practice of those organizations and their relations to the governments among Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. Secondly, this paper examines collaborative mold and process in which both the government and Taiwan Farmer Associations have been extensively involved. A specific cooperative apparatus between the government and TFA functioning and operating as a perfect PPP has been formed under administrative guidance of the state. Thirdly, this paper looks at input and various supports in financial and policy perspective by the public sector. Fourthly, the paper discusses legal framework, administrative apparatus, and governance pattern for TFA. Fifthly, the paper discuses that a specific PPP successfully involving in rural modernization in Taiwan is significantly derived from the state’ guidance that properly regulates a collaboration between the government and TFA. So-call East Asian model of PPP in agricultural modernization and rural community development may become a valuable experience for most of developing countries.

Chinese texts often feature a substantial volume of normative content, and their analysis has increasingly become a focal point in recent semantic analysis endeavors. Enhancing the effectiveness of text classification and clustering is pivotal in unveiling the intricate semantics within extensive textual data. Empirical research within the realm of computational social science has underscored the need for improved explanatory power when it comes to general text clustering methods applied to normative texts. This study introduces an innovative hierarchical clustering method that incorporates part-of-speech (POS) features and pioneers a novel semantic network model. It achieves this by amalgamating a POS-based feature weight calculation method with hierarchical clustering techniques. To assess its efficacy, the method is rigorously evaluated across three diverse text datasets, encompassing normative reports, news articles, and social media content. The experimental results unequivocally demonstrate the superior performance of the POS-HC method, surpassing the traditional TF and TF-IDF feature extraction methods in terms of clustering accuracy, and surpassing some existing clustering methods. Furthermore, its classification effectiveness exhibits notable advantages, particularly in the semantic classification of normative texts.

Metabolites present in the hemolymph of honey bees play a crucial role in modulating the metamorphic process within the species. However, the precise alterations in metabolite composition, along with the associated variances and regulatory pathways implicated during the larvae-to-pupae metamorphosis of honey bees, remain incompletely elucidated. In this investigation, we gathered hemolymph samples from honey bee larvae at three distinct physiological stages-feeding, prepupal, and pupae and subjected them to metabolite analysis utilizing the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique. Employing principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), we identified significant differential metabolites and conducted a metabolic pathway analysis on those differentially up-regulated during the prepupal and pupae stages. Notably, metabolites up-regulated in the hemolymph of prepupal stage larvae primarily governed glucose metabolism and fat digestion and absorption, while those in pupae stage larvae were involved in regulating chitin and lipopolysaccharide precursor formation, as well as the biosynthesis of phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan. These findings bear significant implications for advancing our comprehension of the metamorphic processes in honey bees.

The petrogenesis of high Ba-Sr granitoids provide a great significance to penetrate the Proto-Tethys evolution in the North Qilian orogenic belt. This paper presents a combination of zircon U-Pb age, whole-rock major and trace element concentrations, and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic data for Caowa high Ba-Sr dioritic intrusion from the eastern part of the North Qilian orogenic belt, aiming to decipher its petrogenesis and tectonic setting. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating yields an emplacement age of 447±3 Ma for the Caowa intrusion, indicating a magmatic activity of the late Ordovician. The Caowa quartz diorites contain moderate contents of SiO2, MgO, Mg# and resultant high concentrations of Na2O+K2O, Fe2O3T and Al2O3, displaying calc-alkaline and metaluminous characteristics. Their relatively elevated Ba (up to 1165 ppm) and Sr (561 to 646 ppm) contents, with obvious enrichment in LILEs (e.g. Ba、Th、U) and depletion in HFSEs (e.g. Nb、Ta、Ti) resemble those of typical high Ba-Sr granitoids in subduction zone. Together with enriched Sr-Nd isotopic compositons[(87Sr/86Sr)i=0.7082−0.7086, εNd(t)= -5.1 to -4.9], and relatively extensive εHf(t) values (-13.2 to +8.5) of zircons, it suggests that these high Ba-Sr quartz diorites were derived from a mixture magma source between the ancient crust materials and the enriched lithospheric mantle metasomatised by fluid was released from subducted oceanic crust or sediment. Taking into account the ophiolites, high pressure metamorphic rocks and arc magmatic rocks in the region, we infer that affected by the northward subduction of the Qilian Proto-Tethys ocean, the Laohushan oceanic crust of the North Qilian back-arc basin was subducted during the Late Ordovician and resulted in extensive metasomatism of lithospheric mantle by fluids derived from oceanic crust or sediments, and the Caowa high Ba-Sr quartz diorites generated in the process of crust-mantle interaction during the Late Ordovician.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress triggers a series of signaling and transcriptional events termed the unfolded protein response (UPR). Severe ER stress is associated with the development of fibrosis in different organs including lung, liver, kidney, heart, and intestine. ER stress is an essential response of epithelial and immune cells in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including Crohn’s disease. Intestinal epithelial cells are susceptible to ER stress-mediated damage due to secretion of a large amount of proteins that are involved in mucosal defense. In other cells, ER stress is linked to myofibroblast activation, extracellular matrix production, macrophage polarization, and immune cell differentiation. This review focuses on the role of UPR in the pathogenesis in IBD from an immunologic perspective. The roles of macrophage and mesenchymal cells in the UPR from in vitro and in vivo animal models are discussed. The links between ER stress and other signaling pathways such as senescence and autophagy are introduced. Recent advances in the understanding of the epigenetic regulation of UPR signaling are also updated here. The future directions of development of the UPR research and therapeutic strategies to manipulate ER stress levels are also reviewed.

Hu7691 represents a novel Pan-Akt kinase inhibitor, demonstrating excellent selectivity towards non-AGC kinase families and pronounced inhibitory effects on the proliferation of multiple tumor cell lines. However, there is currently a notable absence of in vivo toxicological research evidence concerning Hu7691. This study represents the first investigation into the 14-day repeated dose toxicity of Hu7691 in male and female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Male rats were administered daily doses of 12.5, 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg, while female rats received doses of 12.5, 25, 50, and 75 mg/kg for 14 consecutive days. Hematological assessments, organ weights, and histopathological examinations revealed corresponding alterations, suggesting potential target organs for toxicity including the spleen, thymus, and gastrointestinal tract. It is worth noting that the test substance may also impact the liver, kidneys, heart, and ovaries. The No Observed Effect Level (NOAEL) was determined to be no greater than 12.5 mg/kg. Based on the observed gender-related toxicity differences in preliminary trials, it is recommended that the high dose reference dose for male animals in formal experiments should not be less than 100 mg/kg, while for female animals, it should be less than 50 mg/kg.

Earth’s near space is a region between 20 and 100 km above sea level, which is characterized by low temperature, low atmospheric pressure, harsh radiation, and extreme dryness. These conditions are analogous to the surface of Mars and the atmosphere of Venus, and thus make it a unique natural lab for astrobiologists. To address the important astrobiological questions of the effects of the near space environmental conditions on biology and of the survival strategies of representative organisms in this planetary analog, teams from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a scientific balloon platform named the Chinese Academy of Sciences Balloon-Borne Astrobiology Platform (CAS-BAP) and carried out a series of experiments in lower near space since 2019. Here, we describe the Biological Samples Exposure Payload (BIOSEP) loaded on CAS-BAP with respect to its structure and function. The primary role of BIOSEP is to expose biological/chemical samples to the planetary analog environments of Earth’s lower near space. Exposed samples will be returned to laboratories for morphological, physiological, chemical, and genetic analyses. The development of BIOSEP and associated biological exposure experiments will improve our understanding of the livelihood of potential Mars lives and the potential habitability of the atmosphere regions of other planets in the Solar System and beyond.

Smart City has emerged as the mainstream paradigm for urban governance innovation, sustainable development, and strategy upgrades, which is drawing attention from scholars worldwide. However, current frameworks for Smart City assessment remain incomplete and simplistic. In is paper, 30 national or provincial capitals in China were selected and we designed a tri-dimensional SPI model—Social, Physical, and Information Space—for smart city spatial development assessment. Utilizing methods such as entropy weighting, coupled coordination degree models, and the Dagum Gini coefficient, this study assesses the spatial development and coupled coordination of 30 cities from 2011 to 2019. Finally, by means of BP neural networks, the study examines the contribution of each indicator to the spatial coupled coordination. The results indicated that with a narrowing disparity in development speeds among different regions, the spatial coupled coordination development level of smart capitals in China has steadily increased, presenting a pattern of staggered distribution. Moreover, the IS subsystem plays the most significant role in coupled coordination. The significance of this research lies in its tri-dimensional spatial perspective of the spatial development and coupled coordination differences of the Smart City, providing evidence-based support for the regional layout and optimization in China.

: In the automotive industry, high-strength plates have been increasingly used to reduce the vehicle body weight due to stringent regulations on fuel economy and safety. Such plates achieve tensile strengths as high as 1.5 GPa owing to the hot-stamping process. However, these plates suffer from scale generation and surface decarburization because of the surface oxidation of the material. Recently, studies on materials subjected to high-frequency induction heating have reported strength improvement owing to the coil shape and cooling method. This study presents the surface temperature changes, mechanical properties, and microstructures of boron steels subjected to longitudinal heating, which uses eddy currents generated from high-frequency induction heating. The surface temperature data were analyzed under different high-frequency induction heating powers (15, 18, 21, 24, 27, and 30 kW) and distances from the specimen (6, 9, and 15 mm). The mechanical properties and microstructures were also analyzed in different high-frequency induction heating coil directions. The correlations between the high-frequency induction heating power and the distance from the specimen with the maximum tensile strength were determined.

A bridged 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) derivative (PN-DOPO) in combination with aluminum phosphates coated sepiolite (Sep@AlPO4) was used to improve the flame retardancy, thermal stability and mechanical properties of poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO)/poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) blends. The synergistic effects of PN-DOPO and Sep@AlPO4 on the fire resistance, thermal decomposition behavior and mechanical properties of PEO/PBAT composites were investigated systematically. The results indicated that 5 wt % Sep@AlPO4 combined with 10 wt% PN-DOPO into PEO/PBAT achieved a V-1 rating in UL-94 test and the LOI value increased to 23.7%, meanwhile, the peak-heat release rate (p-HRR), av-HRR and total heat release (THR) values of PEO/PBAT/PN10%/Sep5% composites decreased by 35.6%, 11.0% and 23.0% compared with those of PEO/PBAT, respectively. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results confirmed that PN-DOPO/Sep@AlPO4 could enhance the initial thermal stability and char yield of PEO/PBAT matrix, and TGA/Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (TGA-FTIR) results revealed that the composites exhibited the absorption peaks of phosphorous-containing groups and an increase in gas-phase volatiles during the thermal decomposition process. The digital photographs and morphological structures of char residues demonstrated that PN-DOPO and Sep@AlPO4 mixtures benefited to the formation of a more continuous and dense carbon layer on the composites surface during combustion. Rheological behavior revealed that a higher storage modulus, loss modulus and complex viscosity of PEO/PBAT/PN-DOPO/Sep@AlPO4 composites could also promote the cross-linking structure during burning. Furthermore, the PEO/PBAT/PN-DOPO/Sep@AlPO4 composites exhibited excellent mechanical properties in terms of elongation at break and flexural performance than the PEO/PBAT system. All the results demonstrated that PEO/PBAT system modified by the combination of PN-DOPO and Sep@AlPO4 not only exhibited excellent synergistic effect on the flame retardance, but also had good improvement on thermal stability and mechanical properties, indicating the potential application in areas requiring fire safety.

Forest ecosystems make a greater contribution to carbon (C) stocks than any other terrestrial ecosystem. To understand the role of regional forest ecosystems in global climate change and carbon exchange, forest C stock and its spatial distribution within the small (2,300 km2) Liuxihe River basin were analyzed to determine the different contributors to the C stock. Forest C stocks were quantified by measuring the biomass of trees, understory vegetation, litter and roots, as well as soil organic C, using data from field samples and laboratory experiments. The results showed that forests stored 38.04 Tg C in the entire basin, with secondary and planted forests accounting for 89.82% and 10.18%, respectively, of the stored C. Five types of forests, a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest, a subtropical coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest, a subtropical coniferous forest, a timber forest, and a non-wood forest, stored 257.55 ± 15.01, 218.92 ± 9.59, 195.24 ± 18.29, 177.42 ± 17.55, and 117.86 ± 6.04 Mg C ha−1, respectively. In the forest ecosystem C stocks of the basin, soils averagely contribute about 73.78%, not including root underground biomass. It provides a comprehensive method for forest ecosystem carbon investigation and forest management in small basin scale.

Hydrothermal carbonization of cellulose was examined at 240 ℃ for 1 h. Ammonium sulfate and thiourea were selected as the doping sources of inorganic nitrogen and organic nitrogen for the preparation of supercapacitor carbon. The effect of boric acid on the properties of the resulting hydrochar after KOH activation was examined. The results showed that the proportion of functional groups and the specific surface area of the activated hydrochar would be reduced after the addition of boric acid, and the pore-forming process of the micropores would be inhibited. The hydrochar obtained from the reaction of cellulose and organic nitrogen compounds had better pore size distribution and electrochemical properties after activation. The largest specific surface area (952.27 m2 g-1) was obtained when only thiourea was used as the only doping source. In the three-electrode system, the specific capacitance resulting activated hydrochar reached 236.25 F g-1 at a current density of 1 A g-1. After 20,000 cycles of charging and discharging at a current density of 10 A g-1, the capacitance retention rate reached 99.96%. Therefore, this study proves that the supercapacitor carbon with good electrochemical properties could be obtained by the direct reaction of cellulose with organic nitrogen compounds.

This study investigates how customers’ technological readiness affects service quality and the adoption of self-service banking by developing an empirical model. The model was proposed to explore the relationships between technology readiness, self-service quality, and customer satisfaction. The hypotheses and stability of the model were tested using structural equation modeling. The findings revealed that technology readiness, including the optimism, innovation, and insecurity dimensions, had a significant positive impact on self-service quality. In addition, service quality fully mediated the relationship between technological readiness and customer satisfaction. These results suggest that when customers are ready to embrace and use new technology, their evaluation of service quality is high. Thus, bank managers should drive customer perceptions of the quality of self-service banking by improving their technological readiness through various measures. Furthermore, based on the mediating effect of self-service quality, banks must be aware that improving service quality can enhance customer satisfaction and maintain a competitive advantage.

By repeated unloading and loading of the excavation dynamic and static loads, repeated train dynamic and static loads of multi-factors, the underpass tunnel, cross tunnel engineering influence area rock layer, the existing tunnel structure of the three constitutes a multifaceted structure, multi-factor interaction system. Existing tunnels into the prediction theory model of the new tunnel excavation process of dynamic and static loads, dynamic and static loads of existing tunnels are mostly analyzed individually, the results of synergistic analysis needs to be improved. Based on the theory of the current layer method, the paper comprehensively considers the stiffness of the existing tunnel, the stiffness of the new tunnel, the excavation method load and the existing tunnel load, coupled with Peck's empirical formula, the theoretical model of deformation prediction for excavation of a two-lane highway tunnel under the tunnel through the existing railroad is proposed, and verified and optimized by numerical calculations and monitoring data, which proves the applicability and reliability of the theoretical model in the similar strata and the project promotion.

The research on the excavation mechanical properties of underpass tunnels has already had certain results, but fewer of them consider the effects of dynamic and static loads on the excavation mechanical properties of underground tunnels at the same time, especially the lack of research cases of double-line highway tunnels with angled underpasses of existing railway tunnels. In this paper, based on the tunnel project of the new double-line Shiqian Highway Tunnel passing under the Hurong Railway at an oblique angle, the mechanical parameters of the rock body in the cross-tunneling area under the influence of static and dynamic load coupling are obtained by using the disturbance quantification coefficients and the Hoek-Brown criterion based on the method of over-advanced geological prediction and the investigation of the surrounding rock on the palisade face, and the engineering-scale finite element model is constructed and the mechanical characteristics of the excavation in the tunnel of the double-lane highway tunnel passing under the existing railroad under the influence of the static and dynamic loads are analyzed. The results show that: the new tunnel rock movement law for the top of the arch sinking, bottom plate bulging, side wall to move outward, the height and width of the arch and bottom plate arch with the tunnel excavation and increase, the side wall rock displacement effect is smaller; left and right lines of the tunnel disturbed area of the rule of change is similar; the existing tunnel bottom plate displacement is more than the top plate and the left and right side walls by the excavation of the time step influence is larger. Typical profile displacement is mainly determined by the distance from the excavation surface; the new tunnel in the four types of calculation conditions of the rock disturbance angle is the same; the existing tunnel roof and side wall Von Mises stress extreme occurs in the tunnel structure, the bottom plate there are pressure relief and pressure-bearing areas; based on the displacement control criteria, the recommended upper and lower step blasting method.

Shear connectors are used in steel beam–concrete slabs of composite frame and bridge structures to transfer shear force according to design loads. The existing Y-type perfobond rib shear connectors are designed for girder slabs of composite bridges. Therefore, the rib and transverse rebars of the conventional Y-type perfobond rib shear connectors are extremely large for the composite frames of building structures. We performed push-out tests of stubby Y-type perfobond rib shear connectors for composite frames. These shear connectors have relatively small ribs than conventional Y-type perfobond rib shear connectors. To confirm the shear resistance of these stubby shear connectors, we performed an experiment by using transverse rebars D13 and D16. The results indicate that these shear connectors have suitable shear strength and ductility for application in composite frame structures. The shear strengths obtained using D13 and D16 were not significantly different. However, the ductility of the shear connectors with D16 was 45.1% higher than that of the shear connectors with D13.

With worsening environmental degradation and increasing international demand for human health, plant cell based technology will be more important. The aim of this review is to give an overview regarding key points of current progress and development trend of nature medical and edible plants from the framework of whole plant cell engineering including cell cultures, cell fusion and cell splitting derived biotechnology. Here we sum up three main application trends of medical plants cell cultures covering industrial output, technology upgrading and potential resource development. We also provide classification and typification insights to summarize the development of somatic hybridization in cereal, vegetables crops and other medicinal and edible plants as well as application of artificial polyploidy induction in major medicinal herbs. Development medicinal and edible homologous plants based on modern plant cell engineering will bring us a promising future.

The TGACG motif-binding factor1 (TGA1) transcription factor, a significant protein in the bZIP transcription factor family, exhibits a myriad of functions, contributes to numerous biological events, and holds substantial application potential. In this study, our analysis revealed a diverse range of photoregulatory and hormone regulatory elements within the MtTGA1 promoter region. The expression profile of MtTGA1 indicated its highest expression in the root, with its regulation influenced by SA, ABA, BR, and GA. Under salt stress conditions, transgenic plants demonstrated significantly longer root lengths and heightened activities of antioxidant enzymes such as ascorbic acid catalase (APX), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in their roots and leaves compared to control plants. Simultaneously, the levels of endogenous hormones ABA and BR escalated in transgenic plants, with a marked change in the morphology of their leaf cells. Transcriptome analysis identified a total of 193 differentially expressed genes, implicating a wide array of biological processes. Furthermore, we found that MtTGA1 is able to interact with Medicago truncatula SPX domain containing protein 1 (SPX1). In conclusion, the MtTGA1 transcription factor plays a crucial role in enhancing salt tolerance, which provides new insights for improving plant survival under salt stress conditions.

It is of great academic significance to understand how the atomic structure of interfaces and boundaries in materials impacts the magnetic coupling nature across the boundaries and encourage development of state-of-the-art magnetic devices. Here, we carry out a systematic investigation of the atomic and electronic structures of twin boundaries (TBs) in LiFe5O8 thin films and determine their concurrent magnetic couplings using atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy and atomistic first-principles calculations. The results show ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic coupling can exist across the different TBs in LiFe5O8 (LFO) thin films and electrical structures within a few atomic layers directly rely on the TB atomic core structures. Uncovering one-to-one relationship between the magnetic properties of individual TB and the local atomic structures will clarify a thorough comprehension of numerous fascinating magnetic properties of commonly utilized magnetic materials, which will undoubtedly encourage the progress of sophisticated magnetic materials and devices.

This literature review paper delves into the synergies between Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) and the effective management of food losses. With the escalating challenges posed by climate change and the pressing need to address food security concerns, the intersection of these two critical domains becomes paramount for sustainable agricultural practices. The review explores existing research on the implementation of climate-smart agricultural techniques and their impact on mitigating food losses throughout the agricultural value chain. The paper synthesizes findings related to climate-resilient crop varieties, precision farming, water-use efficiency, and sustainable soil management, highlighting their contributions to reducing post-harvest losses and enhancing overall food security. In addition to summarizing current knowledge, this paper identifies gaps in the literature and proposes avenues for future research. This review serves as a foundation for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners seeking to contribute to the advancement of climate-smart agriculture and the reduction of food losses, paving the way for a more sustainable and resilient global food system.

Despite recent advancements, therapies remain ineffective against advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), resulting in unsatisfactory therapeutic outcomes. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) offers a promising approach in the treatment of malignant neoplasms. Yet, the exact mechanisms driving CAP-induced cancer cell death are not fully understood. This study revealed a significant reduction in the viability of OSCC cell lines, inactivation of AKT and ERK, and the downregulation of the miR-21, miR-31, miR-134, miR-146a and miR-211 expression followed the CAP treatment. Pretreatment with ZVAD, 3-MA, and Fer-1 synergistically reduced CAP-induced cell death, indicating a combined induction of variable death pathways by CAP. Activation of AKT and ERK, alongside combined treatments using death inhibitors and miRNA mimics, counteracted the cell mortality associated with CAP. CAP-induced downregulation of miR-21, miR-31, miR-187 and miR-211 expression was rescued by AKT and ERK activation. Additionally, CAP treatments notably inhibited the growth of SAS cell xenografts on nude mice. The reduced expression of oncogenic miRNAs in vivo aligned with in vitro findings. In conclusion, our study indicates that CAP jet treatment diminishes OSCC cell viability by abrogating survival signals and oncogenic miRNA expression.

Silicon has been proved to be one of the most promising anode materials for the next generation of lithium-ion battery. For the application in batteries, Si anode should have high capacity and must be industrially scalable. In this study, we have designed and synthesised a hollow structure to meet these requirements. All the processes are carried out without special equipment. The Si nanoparticles that are commercially available are used as the core sealed inside TiO₂ shell, with rationally designed void space between the particles and shell. The Si@TiO₂ are characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The optimised hollow structured silicon nanoparticles, when used as anode in lithium-ion battery, exhibit a high reversible specific capacity over 600 mAhg-1. This excellent electrochemical property of the nanoparticles can be attributed to their optimised phase and unique hollow nanostructure.

In this study, Brillouin optical time-domain analysis (BOTDA) sensing technology was utilized for monitoring settlement in a similarity model of a highway subgrade. As contact winding cannot be used for an optical fiber that is buried directly in soil, uncoupling between. the fiber and the soil can occur. Thus, an optical-fiber-embedded beam (OFEB) was developed, and a method for measuring and calculating the beam deformation was proposed. A calibration test and a test on a similarity model of a subgrade were carried out to investigate the applicability and monitoring accuracy of the OFEB. It was concluded that the OFEB can accurately measure beam deflection, where the maximum relative error between measurements by the optical fiber and a displacement transducer was approximately 5%. The OFEB was embedded directly into a similarity model of a subgrade to monitor settlement. The deflection deformation of the OFEB was found to be close to the subgrade settlement over a certain settlement range with a relative error below 8.1%. Thus, the OFEB can be used to realize measure large-range distributed settlement in a subgrade. A numerical simulation was performed to identify appropriate beam dimensions and material design parameters, thereby extending the measurement range before decoupling of the OFEB and soil occurs. The enhancement of the measurement range and accuracy of the OFEB based on the preliminary experiments carried out in this study enables further investigation of settlement monitoring.

While pioglitazone reduces insulin resistance and hepatic gluconeogenesis effectively in patients with T2DM, these benefits remained controversial in patients with ESRD. We compared MACCEs and mortality (overall, infection-related, and MACCE-related) of pioglitazone to that of DPP4-inhibitors in patients with T2DM and ESRD. From Taiwan’s national health insurance database, 647 pioglitazone users and 6080 DPP4-inhibitors users between April 1st, 2006 and December 31th, 2016 were followed from the 91th date after the ESRD certification till study outcomes, independently; withdraw from the NHI program, death, or Dec. 31th, 2017. After weighting, risks of MACCEs (10.48% vs 12.62% per person-years, [HR]: 0.85, 95% [CI]: 0.729–0.985) and all-cause mortality (12.86% vs 13.22% per person-years, [HR]: 0.88, 95% [CI]: 0.771–0.995) are significantly lower in pioglitazone group. Subgroup analysis found lower MACCEs risk in the pioglitazone users without insulin therapy (6.44% vs 10.04% [HR]: 0.59, 95% [CI]: 0.42–0.82) and lower MACCEs related death (2.76% vs 3.84% [HR]: 0.61, 95% [CI]: 0.40–0.95) in the pioglitazone group with dyslipidemia, when comparing with DPP4-inhibitors users. Pioglitazone is associated with lower all-cause mortality and MACCEs in diabetic patients with ESRD, compared to DPP4-inhibitors. These benefits were further significant in the non-insulin users and patients with dyslipidemia.

This research investigates the effect of pre-soaking treatment on plant-based aggregate using a wet grout binder to formulate a high-strength lightweight concrete (HSLWC). The surface modification utilising a novel grout soaking technique with various water-to-cement (w/c) ratios indicated a new method of approach for the recent development of lightweight plant-based aggregate (LWPA). In this experiment, the fresh and hardened properties of modified LWPA lightweight concrete were assessed by verifying their workability, densities, compressive and split tensile strengths towards the modulus of elasticity. The results showed that pre-soaking plant-based lightweight aggregate (w/c: 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, and 1.2) slightly increased the density of the samples compared to untreated LWPA. The oven-dry density of treated and untreated LWPA is controlled in the range of HSLWC. The outcomes indicated that the workability of the surface- modified LWPA has significant improvement up to 40% in 6 min for (TDS)/0.6 sample compared to the original LWPA. The mechanical properties of the LWPA concrete with surface modification method exhibit substantial increment of compressive strength, split tensile strength, and modulus of elasticity were recorded at 22%, 26%, and 34%, respectively. Significantly, the findings from this scientific method revealed that the pre-soaking treatment method on LWPA has shown to be a highly recommended technique in improving interfacial bonding while performing as one of the most promising solutions to improve the properties of lightweight concrete.

One of the most leading causes of death worldwide is Colorectal cancer(CRC). Polyp segmentation is the most important detected measure for preventing CRC. However, there is still a missing rate for diminutive polyps and multiple ones. In order to solve the phenomenon, we propose to introduce auxiliary attention module(AAM) that can enhance the learning of features related to multiple and diminutive polyps by focusing more on the located and detailed information. Meanwhile, we design to decrease missed rate of multiple and diminutive polyps by implementing an area adaptive loss(AAL) which adapts the weight according to the area and the number of polyps. Our proposed novel AAM and AAL concentrates on training with hard examples and localized information. To evaluate the effectiveness and generalization ability of our proposed model, We utilize three different datasets of variable sizes and a cross dataset. Our proposed method achieves the best results on the Kvasir-SEG dataset, the CVC-ClinicDB dataset and the cross dataset, particularly for the Kvasir-Sessile dataset consisting of small,flat and diminutive polyps. Extensive experimental results show that our proposed DoubleAANet surpass the performance of all existing state-of-the-art segmentation methods.

Halide perovskite materials gain enormous attention for their semiconducting properties, higher power conversion efficiency and potential applications in a wide range field of studies along with their two key limitations: stability and toxicity. In spite of great progress made on the halide perovskites and many promising research developments, overcoming these limitations is not realized yet. Therefore, coordination engineering of new framework for obtaining alternative new halide perovskite materials and fundamental understanding of the coordination chemistry and electronic interactions forming the structure of these newly engineered halide perovskite materials might be one way in order to overcome the issues related to both stability and toxicity. In this review, the current development of halide perovskite families, both lead halide perovskites and lead free halide perovskites followed by coordination engineering of the new frameworks to engineer new halide perovskite materials will be reviewed comprehensively. Moreover, all the concerns of the fundamental ideas of coordination chemistry and electronic interactions that are keys in forming the halide perovskite structures are discussed in detail and form the main aim of this review. Interestingly, we also discuss recent potential energy applications beyond photovoltaic and this review has completed with an essential and open question: ‘what could happen in the future of halide perovskites?’ in order to excite commercial enterprises and research institutions again as well as to get motivating new predictions on the future continuity of this field.

This paper begins with an introduction to porcelain tiles. A review of the major scientific and technological features of the mullite−based porcelain tile (MPT) and anorthite−based porcelain tile (APT), focusing primarily on the raw material, processing, phase evolution and mechanical behavior, is then presented. Based on the porcelain tile firing behavior and a series of physical and chemical changes that can occur, a comprehensive comparison is described. In the last part, the prospects for further developments related to MPT and APT are discussed.

The aim of this study is to investigate, by means of experimental measurements and full-wave simulations, the dominant factors for the very high-resolution (VHR) radar image speckles from exponential correlated rough surfaces. A Ka-band radar system was used to collect the return signal from such a surface sample fabricated by 3D printing, and that signal was further processed into images at different resolution scales, where the image samples were obtained by horizontally turning around the surface sample. To cross-validate the results and to further discuss the VHR speckle properties, full wave simulations by full 3D Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method were conducted with 1600 realizations for the speckle analysis. At the considered very high resolution, speckle statistics show divergence from the fully developed Rayleigh distribution. The factors that impact on the high-resolution speckle properties from exponential correlated rough surface, are analyzed in views of the equivalent number of scatterers theory and scattering scales, respectively. From the data results and extended discussions, it is evident that both of the above factors matter for VHR speckle of backscattering, from the exponential correlated rough surface as a good representative for the ground surface.

(1) Background: The CEO message of hospital homepage contain various contents such as the hospital's future vision, promises with customers, upgraded services and public activities. The CEO’s message of the homepage includes non-financial information as well as financial information of corporates. Also, it provides useful information for not only company's goals and vision but also firm performance and strategies for the future. This study aims to investigate associations between CEO’s message of hospitals homepages and financial status. We used the balanced scorecard frame to analyze what content on the hospital's homepage is related to the hospital's various financial ratios. (2) Methods: We adopt a text mining method to extract significantly repeated keywords from the CEO’s message of hospital website. And we classify these keywords by a balanced scorecard frame. To examine the relationship between keywords of CEO’s message of the hospital homepage and hospital’s financial ratio, T-test is conducted for the difference in the TF-IDF (Term Frequency is Divided by Inverse Document Frequency) mean of the home page contents and its relationship with the views of the balanced scorecard framework. (3) Results: According to empirical results on 65 samples collected from local hospitals, there are some significant relationship between the qualitative content of the hospital's homepage and the quantitative financial ratio that indicates profitability, activity, leverage, liquidity, and transfer to essential business fund (EBF) income. (4) Conclusions: The introduction section of a homepage is most accessible to customers, containing the aims and ideals of hospitals and reflecting their values and visions [1]. In addition, in view of financial status, they can either emphasize financial strength or focus on other areas to mask weakness of financial information. This study reminds us of the importance of hospital website’s disclosure, and it can be inferred from the financial status of the hospital. It also highlights the need for harmonization between quantitative data, financial statements, and qualitative data, CEO’s messages. (5) Implications: To our best knowledge, this paper is the first research attempting to investigate the relation between text of hospital homepage and financial ratio of hospital through text mining technique and balanced scorecard frame. Hospitals take a crucial part in a country’s welfare and healthcare backbone industry. Nevertheless, in many countries, hospital organization sectors tend to remain a source of critical fiscal deficits due to its ineffective and sloppy management. We expect that the result of this paper can provide hospital managers to useful information.

Abstract: This study aims to set up a system to evaluate nursing competencies in disaster preparedness for undergraduates and influencing factors in China. The evaluation system was established by using the modified Delphi. There were 3 phases in this study: 1) an environmental scan; 2) setting framework; 3) adjusting indicators based on the modified Delphi. The questionnaire for these undergraduates lied in their basic information and assessment of nursing competencies in disaster preparedness. Based on the survey, the average score of nursing competencies in disaster preparedness for undergraduate nursing students surveyed was 3.10 (out of 5). In addition, gender, grade, inhabitation, and disaster drills of the students were four factors affecting nursing competencies of undergraduates. This study indicates that the present nursing competencies in disaster preparedness for undergraduates are weak, and it is essential to strengthen nursing education in disaster preparedness for undergraduates.

In this nano era, nanomaterials and nanostructures are popular in developing novel functional materials. However, the combinations of nanoproducts with materials at micro and macro scale can open new routes for conceiving novel materials with an improved or even new functional performances. In this study, a brand-new hybrid, containing both nanofibers and particles having a microsize, was fabricated using a sequential electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) process. Firstly, the microparticles loaded with drug (berberine hydrochloride, BH) molecules in the cellulose acetate (CA) were fabricated using a solution electrospraying process. Later, these microparticles were suspended into a co-dissolved solution containned BH and a hydrophilic polymer (polypyrrolidone, PVP), and were co-electrospun into the nanofiber/microparticle hybrids. The EHDA processes were clearly recorded, and the resultant products showed a typical hybrid topography, with microparticles distributed all over the nanofibers, which was demonstrated by SEM assessments. FTIR and XRD demonstrated that the components within the hybrids were presented in an amorphous state and have fine compatibility with each other. In vitro dissolution tests verified that the hybrids were able to provide the designed dula-step drug release profiles, a combination of the fast release step of BH from the hydrophilic PVP nanofibers through an erosion mechanism and the sustained release step of BH from the insoluble CA microparticles via a typical Fickian diffusion mechanism. The present protocols pave a new way for developing trans-scale functional materials.

Corrosive burns lead to progressive esophageal stricture and dysphagia. There are many trials to prevent Esophageal stricture formation after corrosive burn. This study aimed to access the effects of EW-7197 on prevention for esophageal stricture formation after corrosive esophageal burn. animal study were classified divided into three groups: a healthy group, a control group (corrosive burn without EW-7197), and a treatment group (corrosive burn with EW-7197). Corrosive esophageal burns were produced using 30% NaOH on the lower esophagus. For 3 weeks, the control group received vehicle and the treatment group received 20 mg/kg/day EW-7197. Treatment efficacy was assessed by measuring the stenosis ratio by esophagogram with contrast media on day 21. histologic staining was performed to evaluate the fibrosis area ratio, and western blotting was performed to evaluate fibrotic markers. Among 20 rats that underwent surgery, 14 survived. Three in the treatment group died because of esophageal perforation, and three in the control group died due to their debilitating status. The esophageal stenosis ratio was significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group (12.1 ± 9.5% and 42.2 ± 8.3%, respectively; p = 0.001). The histologic fibrosis area ratio was also significantly lower in the treatment group (12.5 ± 3.0% and 21.6 ± 2.1%, respectively; p = 0.001). The treatment group showed lower expressions of profibrogenic proteins such as TGF-β1, pSmad3, and α-SMA. EW-7197 may be a good alternative for the prevention esophageal stricture formation after corrosive burn.

Low-grade glioma (LGG) is a highly aggressive disease in the skull. On the other hand, anoikis, a specific form of cell death induced by the loss of cell contact with the extracellular matrix, plays a key role in cancer metastasis. In this study，anoikis-related genes (ANRGs) were used to identify LGG subtypes and to construct a prognostic model for LGG patients. In addition, we explored the immune microenvironment and enrichment pathways between different subtypes. We constructed an anoikis-related gene signature using the TCGA cohort and investigated the differences in clinical features, mutational landscape, immune cell infiltration, etc. between different risk groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the characteristics of ANRGs in the high-risk group were associated with poor prognosis in LGG patients. The risk score was identified as an independent prognostic factor. The high-risk group had higher immune cell infiltration, tumor mutation load, immune checkpoint gene expression, and ICB treatment response. Functional analysis showed that these high- and low-risk groups had different immune statuses and drug sensitivity. Risk scores were used together with LGG clinicopathological features to construct a nomogram, and DCA analysis showed that the model could enable patients to benefit from clinical treatment strategies.

A novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, and then spreads to the other Provinces of China. 2019-nCoV was reported to share the same receptor, Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), with SARS-CoV. Previous studies have found ACE2 is abundantly present in humans in the epithelia of the lung and small intestines, and they found ACE2 expression in the basal layer of the non-keratinizing squamous epithelium in nasal and oral mucosa and the nasopharynx. Here based on the public single-cell RNA-Seq datasets, we analyzed the ACE2 expression in the nasal, mouth, lung, and colon tissues. We find that the number of ACE2-expressing cells in the nasal tissue and mouth is comparable to the number of ACE2-expressing cells in the lung tissue and colon. We also find that ACE2 tends to be co-expressed with HLA-DRB1, which plays a central role in the immune system by presenting peptides derived from extracellular proteins, in the nasal, mouth, lung, and colon tissues at single-cell resolution. We hope this provides valuable information for virus-prevention strategy and therapeutic strategy development.

The Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX) model is widely used for evaluating agricultural conservation efforts and their effects on soil and water. A key component of APEX application in Korea is simulating water quality impacts of rice paddies because rice agriculture claims the largest cropland area in the country. In this study, a computational module called APEX-Paddy is developed to simulate water quality with considering pertinent paddy management practices such as puddling, flood irrigation management. Data collected at two experimental paddy sites in Korea were used to calibrate and validate the model. Results indicate that APEX-Paddy performs well in predicting runoff discharge rate and nitrogen yield while the original APEX highly overestimates runoff rates and nitrogen yields on large storm events. With APEX-Paddy, simulated and observed flow and mineral nitrogen yield (QN) are found to be highly correlated after calibration (Nash & Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) = 0.87 and Percent Bias (PBIAS) = −14.6% for flow; NSE = 0.68 and PBIAS = 2.1% for QN). Consequently, the APEX-Paddy showed a greater accuracy in flow and QN prediction than the original APEX modeling practice using the SCS-CN method.

Buckling defect will appear on the outer surface of the deformed ring during constrained ring rolling (CRR) of aluminum alloy thin wall conical ring with inner high ribs (AATWCRIHR), if the geometrical dimension of the ribs doesn't match the wall thickness. To avoid the buckling defect, a quantitative method for characterizing the degree of the buckling defect is proposed using the area of buckling profile. Then an orthogonal experimental scheme was designed taking the width of the middle rib, thickness of wall, and height of the middle rib as design variables and defining the area of buckling profile as optimization objective. Subsequently, a quadratic polynomial response surface model was established by combining the optimization algorithm with the finite element method (FEM), and the geometrical dimension of the middle ribs of the deformed AATWCRIHR is optimized. Also the optimal parameter combination to minimize the area of buckling profile is obtained and verified using FE simulation. Results show that the AATWCRIHR after optimization doesn’t generate the buckling defect during constrained ring rolling, and it is proved that the quantitative buckling defect representation method and the optimization design method based on the response surface model and the finite element simulation results are feasible for the constrained ring rolling process of the AATWCRIHR.

Using lightweight fire-rated board (LFRB) presents cost-effective opportunities for various passive fire protection measures. The aim of the project is to develop a LFRB with enhanced fire resistance, acoustic properties, and mechanical properties. These properties were determined using the Bunsen burner, furnace, energy dispersive X-Ray, impedance tube instrument, and Instron universal testing machine. To fabricate the LFRBs, vermiculite and perlite were blended with flame-retardant bind-ers, and four types of LFRBs were produced. A fire test was conducted to compare the fire-resistance performance of the LFRBs with a commercially available flame retardant board. The B2 prototype showed exceptional fire-resistant properties, with a temperature reduction of up to 73.0 °C as compared to the commercially available fire-rated magnesium board. Incorporating nano chicken eggshell into the specially formulated flame-retardant binder preserved the LFRBs’ structural integrity, enabling them to withstand fire for up to 120 minutes with an equilibrium temperature of 92.6 °C. This approach also provided an absorption coefficient of α = 2.0, a high flexural strength of 3.54 MPa, and effective flame retardancy properties with a low oxygen/carbon ratio of 2.60. These results make the LFRBs valuable for passive fire protection applications in the construction and building materials industry.

Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most prevalent type of sustained cardiac dysrhythmia globally, confers strikingly enhanced risks for cognitive dysfunction, stroke, chronic cardiac failure, and sudden cardiovascular demise. Aggregating studies underscore the crucial roles of inherited determinants in the occurrence and perpetuation of AF. However, due to conspicuous genetic heterogeneity, the inherited defects accounting for AF remain largely indefinite. Here, via the whole-genome genotyping with genetic markers and linkage assay in a family suffering AF, a new AF-causative locus was located at human chromosome 7p14.2-p14.3, a ~4.89-cM (~4.43-Mb) interval between the markers D7S526 and D7S2250. Exome-wide sequencing assay unveiled that at the defined locus, solely the mutation in the TBX20 gene, NM_001077653.2: c.695A&gt;G; p.(His232Arg), co-segregated with AF in the family. Additionally, Sanger sequencing assay of TBX20 in another family suffering AF uncovered a novel mutation, NM_001077653.2: c.862G&gt;C; p.(Asp288His). Neither of the two mutations was observed in 600 unrelated control individuals. Functional investigations demonstrated that the two mutations both significantly reduced the transactivation of the target gene KCNH2 (a well-established AF-causing gene) and the ability to bind the promoter of KCNH2, while without effect on the nuclear distribution of TBX20. Conclusively, these findings reveal a new AF-causative locus at human chromosome 7p14.2-p14.3 and strongly indicate TBX20 as a novel AF-causative gene, shedding light on the mechanism underlying AF and suggesting clinical significance for allele-specific treatment of AF patients.

To estimate the progressive collapse resistance capacity of a multi-column frame tube structure with the assembled truss beam composite floor (ATBCF), the pushdown analysis, and the nonlinear dynamic analysis as well, are conducted for such a structure by using the alternate load path (ALP) method. The bearing capacities of the remaining structures at three different work conditions, which are the side middle column failure, the edge middle column failure, and the corner column failure, are individually studied, and the collapse mechanism for the remaining structures is analyzed from the aspects of the internal force redistribution and the failure mode of the second defense line. Simultaneously, the influence of the column failure time on the dynamic response of the remaining structure and the dynamic amplification coefficient are discussed. The results show that the residual bearing capacity of the remaining structure with the bottom corner column failure is higher than that of the one with the side or edge middle column failure, while the latter has a stronger plastic deformation capacity. When the ALP method is adopted to operate the progressive collapse analysis, it is reasonable to take the column failure time as 0.1 times of the first-order vertical vibration period of the remaining structure, and it is suitable to set the dynamic amplification coefficient as of 2.0, which is the ratio of the maximum dynamic displacement to the static displacement of the remaining structure under the transient loading condition.

The article delves into the intricate phase transitions of 1-Octadecanol and n-Nonadecane within a binary system, unveiling dynamic structural changes under varying conditions. Through Fouri-er-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, specific molecular vibrations were identified, shedding light on the molecular composition and interactions. The study highlights the challenges in detecting subtle phase transitions and emphasizes the individuality of molecular behaviours in closely related compounds. The findings underscore the complexity of phase transitions in binary systems and advocate for a nuanced approach to studying molecular structures and behaviours. Addi-tionally, the research contributes valuable insights into the molecular dynamics of Organic Polymer Functional Adsorption Materials, offering implications for synthetic waxy layers in plant epidermis.

Structural health monitoring has been studied by a number of researchers as well as various industries to keep up with the increasing demand for preventive maintenance routines. This work presents a novel method for reconstruct prompt, informed strain/stress responses at the hot spots of the structures based on strain measurements at remote locations. The structural responses measured from usage monitoring system at available locations are decomposed into modal responses using empirical mode decomposition. Transformation equations based on finite element modeling are derived to extrapolate the modal responses from the measured locations to critical locations where direct sensor measurements are not available. Then, two numerical examples (a two-span beam and a 19956-degree of freedom simplified airfoil) are used to demonstrate the overall reconstruction method. Finally, the present work investigates the effectiveness and accuracy of the method through a set of experiments conducted on an aluminium alloy cantilever beam commonly used in air vehicle and spacecraft. The experiments collect the vibration strain signals of the beam via optical fiber sensors. Reconstruction results are compared with theoretical solutions and a detailed error analysis is also provided.

Ovarian cancer is the most frequent cause of deaths in gynecologic malignancies. Many possible mechanisms have been proposed via RNAseq and DNAseq technique recently. However, the driving factors are still obscure. The possible reasons are attributed to the incomplete human reference. This study integrated the canonical mapping-based and mapping-free protocols to extract reliable variations and novel events. We eventually obtained 450 reliable SNVs from the WES data and novel events from the RNAseq data, including 154 SNVs, 462 intron events, two repeats and six splice events. We identified six differentially expressed genes and six contigs that are significantly related to survival prognosis. The recurrent SNVs in significantly differentially expressed genes can be validated in an independent cohort of 20 Chinese ovarian cancer patients.

Aging is associated with an increasing dysfunction of key brain homeostasis mechanisms and represents the main risk factor across most neurodegenerative disorders. However, the degree of dysregulation and the affectation of specific pathways set apart normal aging from neurodegenerative disorders. In particular, the neuronal metabolism of catecholaminergic neurotransmitters appears to be a specifically sensitive pathway that is affected in different neurodegenerations. In humans, catecholaminergic neurons are characterized by an age-related accumulation of neuromelanin (NM), rendering the soma of the neurons black. This intracellular NM appears to serve as a very efficient quencher for toxic molecules. However, when a neuron degenerates, NM is released together with its load (many undegraded cellular components, transition metals, lipids, antibiotics) contributing to initiate and worsen an eventual immune response, exacerbating the oxidative stress, ultimately leading to the neurodegenerative process. This review focuses on the analysis of the role of NM in normal aging and catecholaminergic metabolism due to its capability as a pro-oxidant and other harmful molecules, versus its involvement in oxidative stress and aberrant immune response, which it is highly dependent on NM saturation state and its extracellular release.

Day-ahead forecasting of electricity prices is important in deregulated electricity markets for all the stakeholders: energy wholesalers, traders, retailers, and consumers. Electricity price forecasting is an inherently difficult problem due to its special characteristic of dynamicity and non-stationarity. In this paper, we present a robust price forecasting mechanism that shows resilience towards aggregate demand response effect and provides highly accurate forecasted electricity prices to the stakeholders in a dynamic environment. We employ an ensemble prediction model in which a group of different algorithms participate in predicting the price for each hour of a day. We propose two different strategies, namely, Fixed Weight Method (FWM) and Varying Weight Method (VWM), for selecting each hour's expert algorithm from the set of participating algorithms. In addition, we utilize a carefully engineered set of features selected from a pool of features derived from information such as past electricity price data, weather data, and calendar data. The proposed ensemble model offers better results than both the Pattern Sequence-based Forecasting (PSF) method and our own previous work using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) alone do on the datasets for New York, Australian, and Spanish electricity markets.

Multimodal remote sensing data classification can enhance the model’s ability to distinguish land features through multimodal data fusion. In this context, how to help models understand the relationship between multimodal data and target tasks is the focus of researchers. Inspired by human feedback learning mechanisms, causal reasoning mechanisms, and knowledge induction mechanisms, this paper integrates causal learning, reinforcement learning, and meta learning into a unified remote sensing data classification framework and proposed the causal meta-reinforcement learning (CMRL). First, based on feedback learning mechanisms, we have overcome the limitations of traditional implicit optimization of fusion features and customized a reinforcement learning environment for multimodal remote sensing data classification tasks. Through feedback interactive learning between agents and the environment, we help them understand the complex relationships between multimodal data and labels, thereby achieving full mining of multimodal complementary information. Second, based on the causal inference mechanism we designed causal distribution prediction action, classification reward, and causal intervention reward, capturing pure causal factors in multimodal data and cutting off false statistical associations between non-causal factors and class labels. Finally, based on the knowledge induction mechanism, we designed a bi-layer optimization mechanism based on meta-learning. By constructing a meta training task and meta validation task simulation model in the generalization scenario of unseen data, we helped the model induce cross-task shared knowledge, thereby improving its generalization ability for unseen multimodal data. The experimental results on multiple sets of multimodal datasets show that the proposed method achieved state-of-the-art performance in multimodal remote sensing data classification tasks.

We consider the financial planning problem of a retiree wishing to enter a retirement village at a future uncertain date. The date of entry is determined by the retiree's utility and bequest maximisation problem within the context of uncertain future health states. In addition, the retiree must choose optimal consumption, investment, bequest and purchase of insurance products prior to her full annuitisation on entry to the retirement village. A hyperbolic absolute risk-aversion (HARA) utility function is used to allow necessary consumption for basic living and medical costs. The retirement village will typically require an initial deposit upon entry. This threshold wealth requirement leads to exercising the replication of an American put option at the uncertain stopping time. From our numerical results, active insurance and annuity markets are shown to be a critical aspect in retirement planning.

This article addresses the trajectory tracking between two non-identical systems with chaotic properties. We employ the Rossler chaotic and RCL-shunted Josephson junctions model in similar phase space to study trajectory tracking. In order to achieve the goal tracking, we afford two stages to approximate the target tracking. The first stage utilizes the active control technique to transfer the output signal from the RCLs-J system into the quasi-Rossler system. Then next, the RCLs-J system employs the proposed the iterative learning control scheme and the control signal from the drive system to trace the trajectory of Rossler system. The numerical results demonstrate the proposed method and the tracking system is asymptotically stable.

The subtropical forest soil plays a pivotal role in terrestrial carbon (C) cycling. Although global warming is expected to influence subtropical soil C cycling, a consensus on its impact on soil C dynamics remains elusive. Given the significant response of soil microbial respiration to temperature in subtropical soils, understanding its behavior under varying temperature regimes is critical for predicting soil organic C (SOC) responses to climate warming. We conducted a short-term laboratory soil warming incubation experiment, sampling both warmed and un-warmed soils from a subtropical plantation in southeastern China, incubating them at 20 °C, 30 °C, and 40 °C. Our aim was to study the SOC mineralization response to increasing temperatures. Our findings revealed that the temperature sensitivity (Q10) of SOC mineralization to short-term experimental warming varied between the warmed soil and the un-warmed soil. The Q10 of the un-warmed soil escalated with the temperature treatment (20-30 ℃: 1.31, 30-40℃: 1.63). Conversely, the Q10 of the warmed soil decreased (20-30 ℃:1.57, 30-40 ℃:1.41). Increasing temperature treatments enhanced hydrolytic enzyme activity but decreased soil substrate availability in both un-warmed and warmed soil. The Q10 of un-warmed soil was positively correlated with the response ratio of DOC. Additionally, soil microbial biomass exhibited a significant decline, leading to a reduced total amount of PLFAs and a decreased abundance of bacteria, fungi, and Gram-negative bacteria (GN). The changes in temperature also considerably altered the composition of the warmed soil microbial community. A drop in the microbial quotient coupled with a rise in the metabolic quotient indicated that warming amplified microbial respiration over microbial growth. The differential Q10 of SOC mineralization, in response to temperature across varying soil, can largely be attributed to shifts in soil nutrients, C-degrading enzyme activities, and microbial communities (the ratio of fungal to bacterial PLFAs).

This research not only dedicated a less restrictive method of iteration-varying function for a learning control law to design a controller but also synchronize two nonlinear systems with free time-delay. In addition, the mathematical theory of system synchronization has proved rigorously and the theory verified through an example to demonstrate the behavior of each parameter in the theory. The design of a controller using the iterative learning control law is significant for robotic tracking. The controller in this research generates a feed-forward control input using the error dynamics among the drive-response systems. The error dynamics satisfies the Lyapunov function and the combination of output errors, which respectively represented relative estimated differences of the drive-response systems. The iterative learning control rule serves the function of a filter adding previous control error after the end of each iteration. The numerical example of a synchronous system is given a Lorenz system for driving and another with the iterative learning control law for response under different initial condition. The results verify and demonstrate the proposed mathematical theory. The simulation exhibits consistency in the behavior of each parameter to match mathematical theory.

In all areas of medicine, especially in radiology, computers are increasing year by year. Filmless radiology, speech recognition software, electronic application forms, and teleradiology are recent developments that have greatly improved radiologists' performance. This research explores radiology software trends, predictions, and the challenges posed by informatics and historical trend analysis. The rationale behind this research is that information technology (IT) is overgrowing almost every day. We must continuously seek new ways to apply IT to make more use of resources. Consequently, IT becomes increasingly crucial to radiology organizations' innovative thinking, workflow, and business models. This study aimed to analyze all radiology software publications in the Science Citation Index (SCI). From 1991 to July 2021, SCI was used to search for publications systematically. We have also widely used this historical method in radiology software research. The findings and discussions are base on an assessment of trends, predictions, contributions, and challenges in radiology software, and we are exploring radiology software with six evolutionary stages. The gift of this research is that radiology managers realize that the use of new information technologies is closely related to survival in a competitive environment. Radiology companies can review these new technologies to develop more innovative business models and services to improve operational deficiencies.

Taiwan is the world’s leading country regarding tuna longline fisheries; the combined catches with those from Japan account for more than half of the global total. However, the bycatch of sea turtles, seabirds, and dolphins in longline fisheries has attracted international concern. Regarding sea turtle conservation, the use of circle hooks in longline fisheries will inevitably become a trend. Meanwhile, Taiwanese fishermen are concerned whether the use of circle hooks will have a negative impact on the catch efficiency of target species. This study was conducted to compare the catch efficiency of circle and tuna hooks by the Taiwanese commercial tuna longline fishing vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The results indicated that if the effects of immersion time were considered, the catch rates of all groups were the same between 4.2-sun circle and tuna hooks. However, the catch rate of 4.0-sun circle hooks was significantly higher than the two types of 4.2-sun circle and tuna hooks. Regarding survival rates, fish caught with circle hooks showed higher survival rates than tuna hooks for total commercial fish, tunas and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares). However, the survival rate was only determined at haulback; the relationship between survival rate and immersion time still needs further investigation. Regarding catch sizes, there were no significant differences in the sizes of bigeye (Thunnus obesus) and yellowfin tuna between circle and tuna hooks. But based solely on mean weight, the value of yellowfin tuna caught using circle hooks may be higher than those using tuna hooks. In summary, the circle hooks used in this study did not show a negative impact on the catch efficiency of Taiwanese longline fisheries, and could show a superior performance than that of tuna hooks. These results could be actively promoted in the industry through the education and training of fishermen; thus enabling Taiwan to comply with international sea turtle conservation trends.

The study aimed to estimate the prevalence and associated factors of cervical and breast cancer screening among women in the general population in Jordan. Nationally representative cross-sectional data were analysed from 14,689 women (34 years median age, range 15-49) that took part in the “2017-18 Jordan Population and Family Health Survey”. Information about cancer screening uptake included Pap smear, clinical breast examination, and mammography. Results indicate that the prevalence of ever Pap smear cancer screening was 15.3%, clinical breast examination in the past 12 months 13.9% and ever mammography 8.7%. In adjusted logistic regression analysis, older age, higher wealth, greater media exposure and tobacco use were positively and being Syrian, and living in the southern region were negatively associated with ever Pap smear, clinical breast examination in the past 12 months, and ever mammography. In addition, high decision-making power was associated with the uptake of Pap smear and higher education was associated with ever mammography. The study showed a low cancer screening uptake, and several factors were identified that can assist in promoting cancer screening in Jordan.

Background: This retrospective study evaluates the survival effects of metronomic maintenance therapy with fluoropyrimidine in patients with stage III colorectal cancer (CRC) according to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression. Methods: We enrolled 197 patients with stage III CRC who had undergone radical resection and FOLFOX regimen adjuvant chemotherapy. The clinicopathological features and effects of metronomic maintenance therapy on survival according to treatment group and EGFR expression were analyzed. By conducting an in vitro cell line study and in vivo study through knockdout of EGFR gene, we analyzed the capacities of cell proliferation and migration. Results: Postoperative relapse and mortality were significantly more common in the FOLFOX group. Metronomic maintenance therapy was a significantly independent predictive factor of postoperative relapse and mortality, as well as a prognostic factor of disease-free survival and overall survival. The significant differences of survival between the two groups were only observed in patients with positive EGFR expression. Conclusions: The present study suggested EGFR expression as the prognostic factor in patients with stage III CRC receiving metronomic maintenance therapy. By analyzing EGFR expression, we can identify the potential candidates with optimal survival benefit from metronomic maintenance therapy in patients with stage III CRC.

The performance of the absolute atom gravimeters used on moving platforms, such as vehicles, ships and aircrafts, is strongly affected by the vibration noise. To suppress its influence, we summarize a vibration compensation method utilizing data measured by a classical accelerometer. The measurements with the accelerometer show that the vibration noise in the vehicle can be 2 order of magnitude greater than that in the lab during daytime, and can induce an interferometric phase fluctuation with a standard deviation of 16.70π. With the compensation method, our vehicle-mounted atom gravimeter can work normally in these harsh conditions. Comparing the Allan standard deviations before and after the vibration noise correction, we find a suppression factor of 22.74 can be achieved in static condition with an interrogation time of T = 20 ms, resulting a sensitivity of 1.35 mGal/Hz1/2, and a standard deviation of 0.5 mGal with an average time of 10 s. We also demonstrate the first test of an atom gravimeter in a moving vehicle, in which a suppression factor of 50.85 and a sensitivity of 60.88 mGal/Hz1/2 were realized with T = 5 ms.

A dynamic impact test was performed on as-rolled AZ31 alloy with gradient microstructure under various strains. The microstructural evolution and mechanical properties were systematically investigated. As the strain rate gradually increases, an increasing number of twins are formed, facilitating dynamic recrystallization (DRX), and the mechanical properties are also gradually improved as well. The microstructure becomes heterogeneous at higher strain rates, but the peak stress decreases. The impact process results in significantly higher performance due to microstructural refinement, work hardening by dislocations and precipitates. In addition, both the adiabatic shear band and the adjacent crack experience a temperature rise that exceeds the recrystallization temperature of the alloy. This observation also explains the presence of ultrafine recrystallized grains within the adiabatic shear band and the appearance of molten metal around the crack.

Rapeseed (Brassica napus) is one of the most important oil crops in the world; however, drought significantly curtails its growth and productivity. Identifying drought-tolerant germplasm is an efficient and low-cost strategy for addressing water shortages. Using water loss ratio (WLR) as an index of drought tolerance, we screened a panel of 265 B. napus lines. We identified eight low-WLR and six high-WLR accessions, which were regarded as drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive, respectively. Further validated these selected accessions at the seedling stage under drought-stress conditions. The drought-tolerant accessions had significantly greater fresh and dry weights under drought stress than the drought sensitive accessions. Using RT-qPCR, we showed that a set of previously reported drought-adaptive marker genes were expressed at higher levels in the drought-tolerant lines than in the drought-sensitive lines. These results indicated that the drought-tolerant genotypes could be identified from natural populations using WLR. Then, we performed a genome-wide association study to identify loci harboring single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). A total of 139 SNPs were significantly associated with the WLR, of which chromosome A10 harbored the largest number. Furthermore, four putative candidate genes were selected by combining the SNP–WLR association results and transcriptional expression data with the changes in drought tolerance. Thus, we have identified two drought-tolerant B. napus cultivars and uncovered genome-wide variation differentiating B. napus lines related to WLR, in addition to providing insights for further research into WLR-related drought mechanisms.

In recent years, intelligent identification and prediction of ore deposits based on deep learning algorithm and image processing technology has gradually become one of the research frontiers in the field of geological and metallogenic prediction. However, this method also has many problems that need to be solved. For example, (1) very few trainable image samples containing mineral point labels; (2) The geological image features are small and irregular, and the image similarity is high; (3) It is difficult to calculate the influence of different geological prospecting factors on ore mineralization. Based on this, this paper constructs a deep learning network model Multiscale Feature Attention Framework (MFAF) based on geo-image data. The results show that MFCA-Net module in MFAF model can solve the problem of scarce mine label images to a certain extent. In addition, the channel attention mechanism SE-Net module can quantify the difference of influence of different source factors on mineralization. The prediction map is obtained by applying the MFAF model in the study of deposit identification and prediction in the research area of the southern section of Qin-hang metallogenic Belt. In the forecast map, many regions have high metallogenic potential. Through observation, it is found that the above predicted area covers 100% of the known ore deposits at present, which has a good prediction effect. Later, we can find out the specific reasons through field verification. The multi-scale feature fusion and attention mechanism MFA Framework in this paper can provide a new way of thinking for geologists in mineral exploration. The research of this paper also provides resource guarantee and technical support for the sustainable exploitation of mineral resources and the sustainable growth of society and economy.

This paper proposed a new evaluation model based on analytic hierarchy process to quantitatively evaluate the capability of multi-satellite cooperative remote sensing observation. The analytic hierarchical process model is a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis of systematic decision analysis method. According to the objective of the remote sensing cooperative observation mission, we decompose the complex problem into several levels and a number of factors, compare and calculate various factors in pairs, and obtain the combination weights of different schemes. The model can be used to evaluate the observation capability of resource satellites. Taking the optical remote sensing satellites such as China’s resource satellite series and GF-4 as examples, this paper verifies and evaluates the model for three typical tasks: point target observation, regional target observation and moving target continuous observation. The results show that the model can provide quantitative reference and model support for comprehensive evaluation of the collaborative observation capability of remote sensing satellites.

Railway has been used as one of the most crucial means of transportation in public mobility and economic development. For efficiently operating railways, the electrification system in railway infrastructure, which supplies electric power to trains, is essential facilities for stable train operation. Due to its important role, the electrification system needs to be rigorously and regularly inspected and managed. This paper presents a supervised learning method to classify Mobile Laser Scanning (MLS) data into ten target classes representing overhead wires, movable brackets and poles, which are recognized key objects in the electrification system. In general, the layout of railway electrification system shows a strong regularity of spatial relations among object classes. The proposed classifier is developed based on Conditional Random Field (CRF), which characterizes not only labeling homogeneity at short range, but also the layout compatibility between different object classes at long range in the probabilistic graphical model. This multi-range CRF model consists of a unary term and three pairwise contextual terms. In order to gain computational efficiency, MLS point clouds is converted into a set of line segments where the labeling process is applied. Support Vector Machine (SVM) is used as a local classifier considering only node features for producing the unary potentials of CRF model. As the short-range pairwise contextual term, Potts model is applied to enforce a local smoothness in short-range graph. While, long-range pairwise potentials are designed to enhance spatial regularities of both horizontal and vertical layouts among railway objects. We formulate two long-range pairwise potentials as the log posterior probability obtained by Naïve Bayes classifier. The directional layout compatibilities are characterized in probability look-up tables which represent co-occurrence rate of spatial relations in horizontal and vertical directions. The likelihood function is formulated by multivariate Gaussian distributions. In the proposed multi-range CRF model, the weight parameters to balance four sub-terms are estimated by applying the Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD). The results show that the proposed multi-range CRF can effectively classify detailed railway elements, representing the average recall of 97.66% and the average precision of 97.07% for all classes.