U-Net Models for Representing Wind Stress Anomalies over the Tropical Pacific and Their Integrations with an Intermediate Coupled Model for ENSO Studies

El Niño-Southern Oscillation(ENSO)is the strongest interannual climate mode influencing the coupled ocean-atmosphere system in the tropical Pacific,and numerous dynamical and statistical models have been developed to simulate and predict it.In some simplified coupled ocean-atmosphere models,the relationship between sea surface temperature(SST)anomalies and wind stress(τ)anomalies can be constructed by statistical methods,such as singular value decomposition(SVD).In recent years,the applications of artificial intelligence(AI)to climate modeling have shown promising prospects,and the integrations of AI-based models with dynamical models are active areas of research.This study constructs U-Net models for representing the relationship between SSTAs andτanomalies in the tropical Pacific;the UNet-derivedτmodel,denoted asτUNet,is then used to replace the original SVD-basedτmodel of an intermediate coupled model(ICM),forming a newly AI-integrated ICM,referred to as ICM-UNet.The simulation results obtained from ICM-UNet demonstrate their ability to represent the spatiotemporal variability of oceanic and atmospheric anomaly fields in the equatorial Pacific.In the ocean-only case study,theτUNet-derived wind stress anomaly fields are used to force the ocean component of the ICM,the results of which also indicate reasonable simulations of typical ENSO events.These results demonstrate the feasibility of integrating an AI-derived model with a physics-based dynamical model for ENSO modeling studies.Furthermore,the successful integration of the dynamical ocean models with the AI-based atmospheric wind model provides a novel approach to ocean-atmosphere interaction modeling studies.

Effects of high glucose and severe hypoxia on the biological behavior of mesenchymal stem cells at various passages

BACKGROUND Mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)have been extensively studied for therapeutic potential,due to their regenerative and immunomodulatory properties.Serial passage and stress factors may affect the biological characteristics of MSCs,but the details of these effects have not been recognized yet.AIM To investigate the effects of stress factors(high glucose and severe hypoxia)on the biological characteristics of MSCs at different passages,in order to optimize the therapeutic applications of MSCs.METHODS In this study,we investigated the impact of two stress conditions;severe hypoxia and high glucose on human adipose-tissue derived MSCs(hAD-MSCs)at passages 6(P6),P8,and P10.Proliferation,senescence and apoptosis were evaluated measuring WST-1,senescence-associated beta-galactosidase,and annexin V,respectively.RESULTS Cells at P6 showed decreased proliferation and increased apoptosis under conditions of high glucose and hypoxia compared to control,while the extent of senescence did not change significantly under stress conditions.At P8 hAD-MSCs cultured in stress conditions had a significant decrease in proliferation and apoptosis and a significant increase in senescence compared to counterpart cells at P6.Cells cultured in high glucose at P10 had lower proliferation and higher senescence than their counterparts in the previous passage,while no change in apoptosis was observed.On the other hand,MSCs cultured under hypoxia showed decreased senescence,increased apoptosis and no significant change in proliferation when compared to the same conditions at P8.CONCLUSION These results indicate that stress factors had distinct effects on the biological processes of MSCs at different passages,and suggest that senescence may be a protective mechanism for MSCs to survive under stress conditions at higher passage numbers.

Intelligent Small Sample Defect Detection of Concrete Surface Using Novel Deep Learning Integrating Improved YOLOv5

Dear Editor,This letter presents an intelligent small sample defect detection of concrete surface using novel deep learning integrating the improved YOLOv5 based on the Wasserstein GAN(WGAN)enhancement algorithm.The proposed method is capable of producing top-notch data sets to address the issues of insufficient samples and substandard quality.

3D‑Printed Carbon‑Based Conformal Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Module for Integrated Electronics

Electromagnetic interference shielding(EMI SE)modules are the core com-ponent of modern electronics.However,the tra-ditional metal-based SE modules always take up indispensable three-dimensional space inside electronics,posing a major obstacle to the integra-tion of electronics.The innovation of integrating 3D-printed conformal shielding(c-SE)modules with packaging materials onto core electronics offers infinite possibilities to satisfy ideal SE func-tion without occupying additional space.Herein,the 3D printable carbon-based inks with various proportions of graphene and carbon nanotube nanoparticles are well-formulated by manipulating their rheological peculiarity.Accordingly,the free-constructed architectures with arbitrarily-customized structure and multifunctionality are created via 3D printing.In particular,the SE performance of 3D-printed frame is up to 61.4 dB,simultaneously accompanied with an ultralight architecture of 0.076 g cm^(-3) and a superhigh specific shielding of 802.4 dB cm3 g^(-1).Moreover,as a proof-of-concept,the 3D-printed c-SE module is in situ integrated into core electronics,successfully replacing the traditional metal-based module to afford multiple functions for electromagnetic compatibility and thermal dissipa-tion.Thus,this scientific innovation completely makes up the blank for assembling carbon-based c-SE modules and sheds a brilliant light on developing the next generation of high-performance shielding materials with arbitrarily-customized structure for integrated electronics.

Optimal synthesis of heat-integrated distillation configurations using the two-column superstructure

In the realm of the synthesis of heat-integrated distillation configurations,the conventional approach for exploring more heat integration possibilities typically entails the splitting of a single column into a twocolumn configuration.However,this approach frequently necessitates tedious enumeration procedures,resulting in a considerable computational burden.To surmount this formidable challenge,the present study introduces an innovative remedy:The proposition of a superstructure that encompasses both single-column and multiple two-column configurations.Additionally,a simultaneous optimization algorithm is applied to optimize both the process parameters and heat integration structures of the twocolumn configurations.The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated through a case study focusing on industrial organosilicon separation.The results underscore that the superstructure methodology not only substantially mitigates computational time compared to exhaustive enumeration but also furnishes solutions that exhibit comparable performance.

Pixelated non-volatile programmable photonic integrated circuits with 20-level intermediate states

Multi-level programmable photonic integrated circuits(PICs)and optical metasurfaces have gained widespread attention in many fields,such as neuromorphic photonics,opticalcommunications,and quantum information.In this paper,we propose pixelated programmable Si_(3)N_(4)PICs with record-high 20-level intermediate states at 785 nm wavelength.Such flexibility in phase or amplitude modulation is achieved by a programmable Sb_(2)S_(3)matrix,the footprint of whose elements can be as small as 1.2μm,limited only by the optical diffraction limit of anin-house developed pulsed laser writing system.We believe our work lays the foundation for laser-writing ultra-high-level(20 levels and even more)programmable photonic systems and metasurfaces based on phase change materials,which could catalyze diverse applications such as programmable neuromorphic photonics,biosensing,optical computing,photonic quantum computing,and reconfigurable metasurfaces.

High-chromium vanadium-titanium magnetite all-pellet integrated burden optimization and softening-melting behavior based on flux pellets

High-chromium vanadium-titanium magnetite(HVTM)is a crucial polymetallic-associated resource to be developed.The allpellet operation is a blast furnace trend that aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the future.By referencing the production data of vanadium-titanium magnetite blast furnaces,this study explored the softening-melting behavior of high-chromium vanadium-titanium magnetite and obtained the optimal integrated burden based on flux pellets.The results show that the burden with a composition of 70wt%flux pellets and 30wt%acid pellets exhibits the best softening-melting properties.In comparison to that of the single burden,the softening-melting characteristic temperature of this burden composition was higher.The melting interval first increased from 307 to 362℃and then decreased to 282℃.The maximum pressure drop(ΔPmax)decreased from 26.76 to 19.01 kPa.The permeability index(S)dropped from 4643.5 to 2446.8 kPa·℃.The softening-melting properties of the integrated burden were apparently improved.The acid pellets played a role in withstanding load during the softening process.The flux pellets in the integrated burden exhibited a higher slag melting point,which increased the melting temperature during the melting process.The slag homogeneity and the TiC produced by over-reduction led to the gas permeability deterioration of the single burden.The segregation of the flux and acid pellets in the HVTM proportion and basicity mainly led to the better softening-melting properties of the integrated burden.

A stable implicit nodal integration-based particle finite element method(N-PFEM)for modelling saturated soil dynamics

In this study,we present a novel nodal integration-based particle finite element method(N-PFEM)designed for the dynamic analysis of saturated soils.Our approach incorporates the nodal integration technique into a generalised Hellinger-Reissner(HR)variational principle,creating an implicit PFEM formulation.To mitigate the volumetric locking issue in low-order elements,we employ a node-based strain smoothing technique.By discretising field variables at the centre of smoothing cells,we achieve nodal integration over cells,eliminating the need for sophisticated mapping operations after re-meshing in the PFEM.We express the discretised governing equations as a min-max optimisation problem,which is further reformulated as a standard second-order cone programming(SOCP)problem.Stresses,pore water pressure,and displacements are simultaneously determined using the advanced primal-dual interior point method.Consequently,our numerical model offers improved accuracy for stresses and pore water pressure compared to the displacement-based PFEM formulation.Numerical experiments demonstrate that the N-PFEM efficiently captures both transient and long-term hydro-mechanical behaviour of saturated soils with high accuracy,obviating the need for stabilisation or regularisation techniques commonly employed in other nodal integration-based PFEM approaches.This work holds significant implications for the development of robust and accurate numerical tools for studying saturated soil dynamics.

Trajectory tracking guidance of interceptor via prescribed performance integral sliding mode with neural network disturbance observer

This paper investigates interception missiles’trajectory tracking guidance problem under wind field and external disturbances in the boost phase.Indeed,the velocity control in such trajectory tracking guidance systems of missiles is challenging.As our contribution,the velocity control channel is designed to deal with the intractable velocity problem and improve tracking accuracy.The global prescribed performance function,which guarantees the tracking error within the set range and the global convergence of the tracking guidance system,is first proposed based on the traditional PPF.Then,a tracking guidance strategy is derived using the integral sliding mode control techniques to make the sliding manifold and tracking errors converge to zero and avoid singularities.Meanwhile,an improved switching control law is introduced into the designed tracking guidance algorithm to deal with the chattering problem.A back propagation neural network(BPNN)extended state observer(BPNNESO)is employed in the inner loop to identify disturbances.The obtained results indicate that the proposed tracking guidance approach achieves the trajectory tracking guidance objective without and with disturbances and outperforms the existing tracking guidance schemes with the lowest tracking errors,convergence times,and overshoots.

Silicon-based optoelectronic heterogeneous integration for optical interconnection

The performance of optical interconnection has improved dramatically in recent years.Silicon-based optoelectronic heterogeneous integration is the key enabler to achieve high performance optical interconnection,which not only provides the optical gain which is absent from native Si substrates and enables complete photonic functionalities on chip,but also improves the system performance through advanced heterogeneous integrated packaging.This paper reviews recent progress of silicon-based optoelectronic heterogeneous integration in high performance optical interconnection.The research status,development trend and application of ultra-low loss optical waveguides,high-speed detectors,high-speed modulators,lasers and 2D,2.5D,3D and monolithic integration are focused on.

Stability of the Stratification of Water Bodies in the North Passage of the Yangtze River Estuary Based on the EFDC Model

To study the stratified stability of a water column in the North Passage of the Yangtze River Estuary,a numerical model of the hydrodynamics of this estuary is established using the EFDC model.On the basis of EFDC results,this paper derives and pro-vides the discriminative index of water body stability caused by salinity and analyzes the along-range variation in water body strati-fication stability in the North Passage of the Yangtze River Estuary and the periodic variation at a key location(bend area)based on the simulation results of the numerical model.This work shows that the water body in the bend area varies between mixed and strati-fied types,and the vertical average flow velocity has a good negative correlation with the differential velocity between the surface and bottom layers of the water body.The model simulation results validate the formulae for the stratified stability discriminant during spring tides.

Astrocytes integrate time and space

Astrocytes read and react to synaptic transmission through tripartite synapses,where the binding of neurotransmitters onto astrocytic receptors triggers an increase in intracellular calcium.Recent investigations have revealed that astrocytes exhibit two distinct states of intracellular calcium activity:(1)graded subcellular localized clusters with independently active microdomains,likely influenced by nearby synaptic events,and(2)whole-cell astrocyte calcium surges,believed to result from the coordinated activation of multiple synapses.Notably,astrocyte calcium responses are not solely graded;instead,a spatial threshold of intracellular calcium activity can be overcome to elicit an astrocyte calcium surge.Together these calcium responses,in turn,initiate downstream signaling pathways capable of modifying synaptic communication and overall network activity.In summary,astrocytes can function as integrators of local synaptic events,actively contributing to information processing within the brain.

Theory and practice for assessing structural integrity and dynamical integrity of high-speed trains

Purpose–The safety and reliability of high-speed trains rely on the structural integrity of their components and the dynamic performance of the entire vehicle system.This paper aims to define and substantiate the assessment of the structural integrity and dynamical integrity of high-speed trains in both theory and practice.The key principles and approacheswill be proposed,and their applications to high-speed trains in Chinawill be presented.Design/methodology/approach–First,the structural integrity and dynamical integrity of high-speed trains are defined,and their relationship is introduced.Then,the principles for assessing the structural integrity of structural and dynamical components are presented and practical examples of gearboxes and dampers are provided.Finally,the principles and approaches for assessing the dynamical integrity of highspeed trains are presented and a novel operational assessment method is further presented.Findings–Vehicle system dynamics is the core of the proposed framework that provides the loads and vibrations on train components and the dynamic performance of the entire vehicle system.For assessing the structural integrity of structural components,an open-loop analysis considering both normal and abnormal vehicle conditions is needed.For assessing the structural integrity of dynamical components,a closed-loop analysis involving the influence of wear and degradation on vehicle system dynamics is needed.The analysis of vehicle system dynamics should follow the principles of complete objects,conditions and indices.Numerical,experimental and operational approaches should be combined to achieve effective assessments.Originality/value–The practical applications demonstrate that assessing the structural integrity and dynamical integrity of high-speed trains can support better control of critical defects,better lifespan management of train components and better maintenance decision-making for high-speed trains.

Aging impairs the osteocytic regulation of collagen integrity and bone quality

Poor bone quality is a major factor in skeletal fragility in elderly individuals.The molecular mechanisms that establish and maintain bone quality,independent of bone mass,are unknown but are thought to be primarily determined by osteocytes.We hypothesize that the age-related decline in bone quality results from the suppression of osteocyte perilacunar/canalicular remodeling(PLR),which maintains bone material properties.We examined bones from young and aged mice with osteocyte-intrinsic repression of TGFβsignaling(TβRII^(ocy−/−))that suppresses PLR.The control aged bone displayed decreased TGFβsignaling and PLR,but aging did not worsen the existing PLR suppression in male TβRII^(ocy−/−)bone.This relationship impacted the behavior of collagen material at the nanoscale and tissue scale in macromechanical tests.The effects of age on bone mass,density,and mineral material behavior were independent of osteocytic TGFβ.We determined that the decline in bone quality with age arises from the loss of osteocyte function and the loss of TGFβ-dependent maintenance of collagen integrity.

Discontinuities of Banana Integrals in Dispersion Relation Representation

We derive the discontinuities of banana integrals using the dispersion relation iteratively,and find a series of identities between the parameterized discontinuities of banana integrals(p-DOBIs).Similar to elliptic integrals,these identities enable the reduction of various p-DOBIs to be a linear combination of some fundamental ones.We present a practical application of p-DOBIs for deriving the Picard–Fuchs operator.Then we establish the expression of generalized dispersion relation,which enables us to obtain the dispersion relation representation of arbitrary banana integrals.Moreover,we propose a hypothesis for generalized dispersion relation and p-DOBIs,which provides a simple way to calculate the discontinuities and transform dispersion relation representation to p-DOBIs.

Gelatin and lipidoid integrate to create gelasomes to enhance siRNA delivery with low toxicity

RNAi therapeutics possess the potential to cure many uncurable human diseases.For instance,RNAi therapeutics using liposomes showed remarkable survival benefits in patients with liver diseases.However,the extension of liposomes to deliver RNA to cure other ailments has largely been unsuccessful.Therefore,researchers are focusing on designing and testing different combinations of materials for versatile RNA delivery applications.Yet,an efficient and safe RNA delivery platform has not been identified.In this work,we have developed a new class of RNA-delivery vehicle called“Gelasomes,”using an incongruous combination of gelatin and lipidoid to exploit each material’s unique properties while overcoming their inherent limitations.The low in vivo toxicity of Gelasomes is attributed to the exterior gelatin layers that shield the exposure of cationic lipidoid-siRNA clusters and yet present a biocompatible surface.Indeed,toxicity studies in mice indicate that repeated administration of Gelasomes(up to 48 mg/kg BW)is well-tolerated with no notable changes in body weight,hematology,or serum chemistry.Interestingly,the gelatin outer layer efficiently protects siRNA from serum degradation(48 h),preserving its functionality beyond two months of storage.Notably,Gelasomes possess dual siRNA conjugation modes,i.e.,electrostatic binding with lipidoid core and covalent attachment to gelatin surface.The bivalency coupled with lipidoids’high transfection efficiency rendered Gelasomes with remarkably high gene silencing efficiency(>90%)at very low treatment doses in vitro(40μg/mL).In vivo studies further confirmed the high gene silencing ability of Gelasomes in non-small cell lung tumor mouse models.This new platform is tunable on all fronts:size,degree of surface coating,and biomolecule functionalization.Truncating the lipidoid C14-tail to a C8-tail yielded Gelasomes of reduced size.As lipidoids with different carbon lengths are synthesizable,we can develop a library of Gelasomes with different sizes.The surface coating with less gelatin resulted in high transfection efficiency at low doses of Gelasomes.The structure of Gelasomes offers chemical handles to couple target-specific molecules like antibodies to tune their properties for efficient biological application.

A Cauchy integral formula for(p,q)-monogenic functions withα-weight

Firstly,some properties for(p,q)-monogenic functions withα-weight in Clifford analysis are given.Then,the Cauchy-Pompeiu formula is proved.Finally,the Cauchy integral formula and the Cauchy integral theorem for(p,q)-monogenic functions withα-weight are given.

Nonlinear interaction of head-on solitary waves in integrable and nonintegrable systems

This study numerically investigates the nonlinear interaction of head-on solitary waves in a granular chain(a nonintegrable system)and compares the simulation results with the theoretical results in fluid(an integrable system).Three stages(the pre-in-phase traveling stage,the central-collision stage,and the post-in-phase traveling stage)are identified to describe the nonlinear interaction processes in the granular chain.The nonlinear scattering effect occurs in the central-collision stage,which decreases the amplitude of the incident solitary waves.Compared with the leading-time phase in the incident and separation collision processes,the lagging-time phase in the separation collision process is smaller.This asymmetrical nonlinear collision results in an occurrence of leading phase shifts of time and space in the post-in-phase traveling stage.We next find that the solitary wave amplitude does not influence the immediate space-phase shift in the granular chain.The space-phase shift of the post-in-phase traveling stage is only determined by the measurement position rather than the wave amplitude.The results are reversed in the fluid.An increase in solitary wave amplitude leads to decreased attachment,detachment,and residence times for granular chains and fluid.For the immediate time-phase shift,leading and lagging phenomena appear in the granular chain and the fluid,respectively.These results offer new knowledge for designing mechanical metamaterials and energy-mitigating systems.

Development and Validation of Integrated Nutrient Management Practices of Industrial Processing Varieties: Asterix and Courage in Bangladesh

An experiment was meticulously conducted at the research field of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), Gazipur, Bangladesh, during the 2011-2012 potato growing season to develop integrated crop management practices for the potato seed production of industrial processing varieties Asterix and Courage. Significantly, higher growth and yield parameters were found in the BADC-recommended practice. Later, another experiment was conducted to validate the BADC practice during the 2013-2014 potato growing season in two locations in Bangladesh. Results showed that the production of tuber per hill, tuber weight per hill as well as gross tuber yield per plot, higher proportion of storable seed tubers, and more quality seed potatoes (A-grade and B-grade) seed tubers were found significantly higher in the “BADC developed practice” compared to other treatments. Viral diseases (PLRV and PVY) prevalence was lower in “BADC developed practice”. Moreover, “BADC developed practice” contributed more economic yield by minimizing input cost compared to “Munshiganj advanced farmers’ practice”. Therefore, the “BADC developed practice” was found “superior” regarding yield, quality, and profitability in seed potato production of industrial varieties—Asterix and Courage in Bangladesh.

Impacts of Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture on Phytoplankton in Sanggou Bay

Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture(IMTA)has been considered as an ecofriendly culture system providing a potential solution to environmental risks caused by intensive monoculture system.However,the impact of IMTA on phytoplankton remains unclear.In this study,the spatial and temporal variations of phytoplankton in Sanggou Bay were investigated seasonally based on 21 sampling sites covering three cultivation zones(bivalve zone,IMTA zone,and kelp zone)and one control zone(without aquatic cultivation).In total,128 phytoplankton species,with diatoms and dinoflagellates as the dominant groups,were obtained across the whole year,and the mean Shannon diversity index(H')and species richness(SR)were determined as 1.39 and 9.39,respectively.The maximum chlorophyll a(Chl-a)(6.32μg L^(-1))and plankton diversity(H'of 1.97)occurred in summer and autumn,respectively.Compared to other zones,the bivalve zone displayed significantly higher Chl-a and lower H'in majority of time.Pairwise PERMANOVA analysis indicated that the phytoplankton assemblage in the bivalve zone was significantly different with the control and kelp zones,while the IMTA zone maintained close to other three zones.Based on generalized additive models,temperature,NO_(2)^(-)-N,N/P ratio,SiO_(3)^(2-)-Si,and salinity were determined as the key factors underlying Chl-a and phytoplankton diversity.Addi-tionally,the results of redundancy analysis further indicated that the phytoplankton assemblage in the bivalve zone is positively re-lated with nutrients such as NO_(3)^(-)-N and NH_(4)^(+)-N as well as water depth,while the phytoplankton assemblages in the kelp,control,and IMTA zones are associated with NO_(2)^(-)-N,SiO_(3)^(2-)-Si,and salinity.Taken all observations into consideration together,it can be inferred that IMTA can effectively reduce Chl-a level compared to bivalve monoculture by reducing the nutrients.However,the SR,H’,and species composition of phytoplankton are primarily determined by local environment factors such as temperature,water depth,salinity and SiO_(3)^(2-)-Si.