The suitability of touchscreens for human–computer interaction in manned/unmanned aerial vehicle cooperative missions remains uncertain, especially in situations that are time-sensitive with ...variations in difficulty levels. The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of touchscreen applications in manned/unmanned aerial vehicle cooperative missions and the magnitude of the effects of time pressure and task difficulty. In contrast to previous studies, a combination of performance and perceptual load measures was used to divide errors into disposition errors, undetected errors, and miscalculation errors to explore specific error mechanisms, set up typical manned/unmanned aerial vehicle cooperative human–computer interaction tasks, and set up antecedent features for potential factors. Thirty subjects participated in an experiment that required the use of touchscreens or keyboards to perform a human–computer interaction task in a simulated manned/unmanned aerial vehicle cooperative mission. Experiments were set at three task difficulties: low, medium, and high, and were matched to a set time pressure or no time pressure for two seconds for low difficulty, three seconds for medium difficulty, and four seconds for high difficulty. The results showed that the touchscreens improved the participants’ response speed at a time pressure of 2 s or less compared with the use of a general input device; however, the task error rate also increased significantly. The higher the task difficulty was, the worse the performance was and the greater the perceived workload of the participants. The application of touchscreens in dynamic environments subjected the participants to greater physical demands. The performance of participants using a keyboard was no better than that when touchscreens were used during the experiment. Moreover, touchscreens did not significantly improve participant performance. The results support the possibility of using touchscreens in manned/unmanned aerial vehicle cooperative missions.
Liver fibrosis is a common pathological feature of end stage liver failure, a severe life-threatening disease worldwide. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), especially its more severe form with ...steatohepatitis (NASH), results from obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome and becomes a leading cause of liver fibrosis. Genetic factor, lipid overload/toxicity, oxidative stress and inflammation have all been implicated in the development and progression of NASH. Both innate immune response and adaptive immunity contribute to NASH-associated inflammation. Innate immunity may cause inflammation and subsequently fibrosis
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danger-associated molecular patterns. Increasing evidence indicates that T cell-mediated adaptive immunity also provokes inflammation and fibrosis in NASH
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cytotoxicity, cytokines and other proinflammatory and profibrotic mediators. Recently, the single-cell transcriptome profiling has revealed that the populations of CD4
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T cells, CD8
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T cells, γδ T cells, and TEMs are expanded in the liver with NASH. The activation of T cells requires antigen presentation from professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs), including macrophages, dendritic cells, and B-cells. However, since hepatocytes express MHCII molecules and costimulators, they may also act as an atypical APC to promote T cell activation. Additionally, the phenotypic switch of hepatocytes to proinflammatory cells in NASH contributes to the development of inflammation. In this review, we focus on T cells and in particular CD4
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T cells and discuss the role of different subsets of CD4
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T cells including Th1, Th2, Th17, Th22, and Treg in NASH-related liver inflammation and fibrosis.
In order to improve the speed of multi-class support vector machine, based on One-versus-One SVM, the method of combining hierarchical classification is proposed which can reduce the number of ...classifiers during training and testing, and use the inter-class separation degree, the intra-class sample distance, and the intra-class sample distance standard deviation as the classification measures to divide the subset of binary classification and then form the binary tree structure. Finally, the 1-v-1 training is performed on the subclasses respectively. Experiments show that compared with the traditional 1-v-1 SVM, this method can effectively shorten the time required for classification and reduce the influence of error accumulation of H-SVMs.
Farnesoid X receptor, also known as the bile acid receptor, belongs to the nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily of ligand-regulated transcription factors, which performs its functions by regulating the ...transcription of target genes. FXR is highly expressed in the liver, small intestine, kidney and adrenal gland, maintaining homeostasis of bile acid, glucose and lipids by regulating a diverse array of target genes. It also participates in several pathophysiological processes, such as inflammation, immune responses and fibrosis. The kidney is a key organ that manages water and solute homeostasis for the whole body, and kidney injury or dysfunction is associated with high morbidity and mortality. In the kidney, FXR plays an important role in renal water reabsorption and is thought to perform protective functions in acute kidney disease and chronic kidney disease, especially diabetic kidney disease. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in the understanding of the physiological and pathophysiological function of FXR in the kidney.
Strong two‐photon absorption (TPA) in monolayer MoS2 is demonstrated in contrast to saturable absorption (SA) in multilayer MoS2 under the excitation of femtosecond laser pulses in the near‐infrared ...region. MoS2 in the forms of monolayer single crystal and multilayer triangular islands are grown on either quartz or SiO2/Si by employing the seeding method through chemical vapor deposition. The nonlinear transmission measurements reveal that monolayer MoS2 possesses a nonsaturation TPA coefficient as high as ∼(7.62 ±0.15) ×103 cm/GW, larger than that of conventional semiconductors by a factor of 103. As a result of TPA, two‐photon pumped frequency upconverted luminescence is observed directly in the monolayer MoS2. For the multilayer MoS2, the SA response is demonstrated with the ratio of the excited‐state absorption cross section to ground‐state cross section of ∼0.18. In addition, the laser damage threshold of the monolayer MoS2 is ∼97 GW/cm2, larger than that of the multilayer MoS2 of ∼78 GW/cm2.
Remarkable TPA and two‐photon pumped photoluminescence in pristine monolayer MoS2 grown by CVD are demonstrated, which is entirely distinct from the SA response in multilayer in the NIR. The giant TPA coefficient implies that monolayer MoS2 is a potential 2D semiconductor for photonic applications, such as optical limiters, optical beam shapers, etc.
The exciting applications of molecular motion are still limited and are in urgent pursuit, although some fascinating concepts such as molecular motors and molecular machines have been proposed for ...years. Utilizing molecular motion in a nanoplatform for practical application has been scarcely explored due to some unconquered challenges such as how to achieve effective molecular motion in the aggregate state within nanoparticles. Here, we introduce a class of near infrared-absorbing organic molecules with intramolecular motion-induced photothermy inside nanoparticles, which enables most absorbed light energy to dissipate as heat. Such a property makes the nanoparticles a superior photoacoustic imaging agent compared to widely used methylene blue and semiconducting polymer nanoparticles and allow them for high-contrast photoacoustic imaging of tumours in live mice. This study not only provides a strategy for developing advanced photothermal/photoacoustic imaging nanoagents, but also enables molecular motion in a nanoplatform to find a way for practical application.
Hierarchically porous carbons (HPCs) have been prepared by sol–gel self-assembly technology with nickel oxide and surfactant as the dual template. The porous carbons are further activated by nitric ...acid. The electrochemical behaviors of supercapacitors using HPCs as electrode material in different aqueous electrolytes, e.g., (NH4)2SO4, Na2SO4, H2SO4 and KOH are studied by cyclic voltametry, galvanostatic charge/discharge, cyclic life, leakage current, self-discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results demonstrate that the supercapacitors in various electrolytes perform definitely capacitive behaviors; especially in 6 M KOH electrolyte the supercapacitor represents the best electrochemical performance, the shortest relaxation time, and nearly ideal polarisability. The energy density of 8.42 Wh kg−1 and power density of 17.22 kW kg−1 are obtained at the operated voltage window of 1.0 V. Especially, the energy density of 11.54 Wh kg−1 and power density of 10.58 kW kg−1 can be achieved when the voltage is up to 1.2 V.
► Comparable electrochemical performances in various aqueous electrolytes. ► In 6.0 M KOH the supercapacitor performs the best electrochemical behaviors. ► The highest energy density of the supercapacitor in 6.0 M KOH is 11.54 Wh kg−1. ► In 6.0 M KOH the supercapacitor has the shortest relaxation time of 0.62 s.
Safety and efficient dispose of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash with high toxicity has emerged as a worldwide challenge. Vitrification provides the advantages of capacity reduction, ...detoxification, and solidification of heavy metals, which has the potential to dispose of hazardous waste on a large scale. Herein, co–vitrification of MSWI fly ash and bottom slag has been accomplished based on the characteristics of calcium and silicon composition. A novel approach for producing glass ceramic foams by alkaline activation–crystallization was developed to realize the disposal of the obtained glass. The effect of MSWI fly ash/bottom slag ratios on the glass network, crystallization ability of the basic glass, pore structure, and physical properties of the porous green body was investigated. The results revealed that with increasing MSWI fly ash proportion, the Si–O of SiO4 in the basic glass changed significantly and the crystallization ability steadily reduced. Si–O and Al–O in basic glass are easy to corrode under alkaline conditions, releasing Ca2+ and forming a low solubility product, calcium silicate hydrate. When the crystallization temperature increases from 950 ℃ to 1150 ℃, it is more conducive to the precipitation of the gehlenite phase. Extending the crystallization time promotes three–dimensional growth of crystals that are coupled with each other to form a network structure and a multi–stage pore structure. The pore structure was developed with the help of NH3 and H2 generated by the secondary aluminum ash (SAA). Through the preparation of glass ceramic foams, the raw materials were detoxified. The toxic heavy metals showed extremely low leaching concentrations, which were smaller than the limit of TCLP. The prepared samples had 70.22–80.61% of porosity, 0.78–1.19 g/cm3 of low bulk density, and 0.54–7.86 MPa of compressive strength.
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•Co-vitrification of high proportions of MSWI fly ash and bottom slag was studied.•The change of glass characteristics by different MSWI fly ash content was determined.•Secondary aluminum ash (SAA) was employed as a foaming agent at room temperature.•Co–detoxifying hazardous solid wastes was successfully realized.
The discovery of two-dimensional (2D) material graphene has opened a door towards a class of layered novel nanomaterials with unique photonic and optoelectronic properties. Recently many new 2D ...materials have been reported, including topological insulators (TIs), transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and black phosphorus (BP). These materials have been demonstrated high optical nonlinearity and Pauli blocking used as saturable absorbers (SAs) in pulsed lasers. In this paper, we summarize the current specifications from these 2D materials based mode-locked and Q-switched lasers. The laser performance in operating wavelength, optical bandwidth, repetition rate and pulse energy is reviewed. Finally future perspective is suggested.
•Mode-locked and Q-switched lasers based on three 2D materials are reviewed.•Best specifications of bandwidth, repetition rate and pulse energy are summarized.•Material basic properties, fabrication and characterization are also introduced.
Epidemiological studies have shown that social isolation, which is prevalent in older adults, is associated with a range of adverse health outcomes, but the prevalence of and trends in regard to ...social isolation remain ambiguous in China. The aim of this study was to elucidate the trends regarding the prevalence of social isolation among middle-aged and older adults in China from 2011 to 2018 and to further identify associated risk factors.
A repeated cross-sectional study, The data were derived from panel sample data of four waves conducted from May 2011 to August 2018 in the nationally representative China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) using multistage probability sampling. Social isolation was ascertained by the five item Steptoe Social Isolation Index. The potential covariates were demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, and health status. Linear-by-linear association was used to assess the trends in regard to social isolation over time under the influence of the potential covariates. Linear-by-linear association and an age-period-cohort analysis were used to explore the trends, and two-level (time, individual) generalized estimating equation models (GEE) linked multivariate binary logistic regression were performed to identify risk factors.
A high prevalence of social isolation and a moderate upward trend from 2013 to 2018 were observed among a U-shaped trend prevalence of social isolation from 2011 to 2018 across China, with rates of 38.09% (95% CI = 36.73-39.45) in 2011, 33.66% (32.32-35.00) in 2013, 39.13% (37.59-40.67) in 2015, and 39.95% (38.59-41.31) in 2018 (p < 0.001). The prevalence of social isolation increased with age and educational attainment. Females had a higher prevalence than males. The prevalence of social isolation was found to be significantly lower in pensioners than in non-pensioners between 2011 and 2018 (p < 0.001). The prevalence of social isolation was 38.9%, 34.9%, 38.5%, and 44.08% about three times higher among those who doid not use the Internet and 13.44%, 11.64%, 12.93%, and 16.73% than among those who doid in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2018 respectively. The participants with short (0-5 h) and long sleep (9 or more hours), and poor self-rated health had a higher prevalence of social isolation than the others. Older age, lower educational attainment, living in a rural region, lack of medical insurance or pension, lack of internet use and poor health were risk factors (p < 0.05).
We found a U-shaped prevalence of social isolation trends from 2011 to 2018 and revealed increasing trends from 2013 to 2018 among middle-aged and older adults in China. The findings of the study highlight the urgent need for interventions to reduce social isolation including improving sleep quality and internet skills. Disadvantaged groups in terms of age, economic status, and health status should be the focus of such interventions, especially in the era of COVID-19.
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