We investigate experimentally and theoretically the interactions between a cavitation bubble and a hemispherical pendant oil droplet immersed in water. In experiments, the cavitation bubble is generated by a focused laser pulse right below the pendant droplet with well-controlled bubble–wall distances and bubble–droplet size ratios. By high-speed imaging, four typical interactions are observed, namely: oil droplet rupture; water droplet entrapment; oil droplet large deformation; and oil droplet mild deformation. The bubble jetting at the end of collapse and the migration of the bubble centroid are particularly different in each bubble–droplet interaction. We propose theoretical models based on the method of images for calculating the Kelvin impulse and the anisotropy parameter which quantitatively reflects the migration of the bubble centroid at the end of the collapse. Finally, we explain that a combination of the Weber number and the anisotropy parameter determines the regimes of the bubble–droplet interactions.

Previous literature attempted to gain insight into financial abuse involving people with dementia by analysing court cases, but these studies were limited in sample size or scope. This study collected 214 court rulings directly related to the financial decisions of people with dementia to identify characteristics of the financial abuse victim, perpetrators and the types of assets. The models of bystander intervention and routine activity theory were used as conceptual models to guide analysis regarding the role of bank staff as well as the court's decision in cases of financial abuse. The majority of financial abuse perpetrators were family members (73.8%), as opposed to outsiders (19.2%). Transfer of real estate was the most common legal issue, and land was the most common financial asset involved. Difficult intra-family relationships seem to pose a great risk of financial abuse involving people with dementia since adult children were found to be the most likely perpetrators (52.7%) but also plaintiffs accusing financial abuse (57.6%). In accordance with the bystander intervention model, bank staff were more likely to be suspicious of financial abuse when an outsider was regarded as the perpetrator. In accordance with the routine activity theory model, the court was more likely to acknowledge the case as an invalid financial decision when an outsider was regarded as the perpetrator in financial abuse cases. Since people with dementia suffer from greater losses due to their family members, future policies should establish guidelines for front-line bank staff to identify warning signs to reduce the risk of financial abuse involving people with dementia, not only to prevent fraud by outsiders but also exploitation by family members.

Fat deposition and lipid metabolism are closely related to the morphology, structure and function of mitochondria. The morphology of mitochondria between fusion and fission processes is mainly regulated by protein posttranslational modification. Intermittent fasting (IF) promotes high expression of Sirtuin 3 (Sirt3) and induces mitochondrial fusion in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. However, the mechanism by which Sirt3 participates in mitochondrial protein acetylation during IF to regulate mitochondrial fusion and fission dynamics remains unclear. This article demonstrates that IF promotes mitochondrial fusion and improves mitochondrial function in HFD mouse inguinal white adipose tissue. Proteomic sequencing revealed that IF increased protein deacetylation levels in HFD mice and significantly increased Sirt3 mRNA and protein expression. After transfecting with Sirt3 overexpression or interference vectors into adipocytes, we found that Sirt3 promoted adipocyte mitochondrial fusion and improved mitochondrial function. Furthermore, Sirt3 regulates the JNK-FIS1 pathway by deacetylating malate dehydrogenase 2 (MDH2) to promote mitochondrial fusion. In summary, our study indicates that IF promotes mitochondrial fusion and improves mitochondrial function by upregulating the high expression of Sirt3 in HFD mice, promoting deacetylation of MDH2 and inhibiting the JNK-FIS1 pathway. This research provides theoretical support for studies related to energy limitation and animal lipid metabolism.

It is generally accepted that high-oleic crops have at least 70% oleate. As compared to their normal-oleic counterparts, oil and food products made from high-oleic peanut have better keeping quality and are much healthier. Therefore, high-oleic peanut is well recognized by processors and consumers. However, owing to the limited availability of high-oleic donors, most present-day high-oleic peanut varietal releases merely have F435 type FAD2 mutations. Through screening of a mutagenized peanut population of 15L46, a high-yielding peanut line with desirable elliptical oblong large seeds, using near infrared model for predicting oleate content in individual single seeds, high-oleic peanut mutants were identified. Sequencing FAD2A and FAD2B of the mutants along with the wild type revealed that these mutants possessed G448A FAD2A (F435 type FAD2A mutation) and G558A FAD2B (non-F435 type FAD2B mutation). Expression of the wild and mutated type FAD2B in yeast verified that the functional mutation contributed to the high-oleic phenotype in these mutants. The mutants provided additional high-oleic donors to peanut quality improvement.

This study examined how discriminability and prototypicality of nonnative phones modulate the amplitude of the Mismatch Negativity (MMN) event-related brain potential. We hypothesized that if a frequently occurring (standard) stimulus is not prototypical to a listener, a weaker predictive memory trace will be formed and a smaller MMN will be generated for a phonetic deviant, regardless of the discriminability between the standard and deviant stimuli. The MMN amplitudes of Japanese speakers hearing the English vowels /æ/ and /ɑ/ as standard stimuli and /ʌ/ as a deviant stimulus in an oddball paradigm were measured. Although the English /æ/-/ʌ/ contrast was more discriminable than the English /ɑ/-/ʌ/ contrast for Japanese speakers, when Japanese speakers heard the /æ/ standard stimulus (i.e., less prototypical as Japanese /a/) and the /ʌ/ deviant stimulus, their MMN amplitude was smaller than the one elicited when they heard /ɑ/ as a standard stimulus (i.e., more prototypical as Japanese /a/) and /ʌ/ as a deviant stimulus. The prototypicality of the standard stimuli in listeners’ phonological representations modulates the MMN amplitude more robustly than does the discriminability between standard and deviant stimuli.

The precise structural solution of crystals on a mesostructural scale is challenging due to the difficulties in obtaining electron diffraction and the complicated relationship between the crystal structure factors (CSFs) and the conventional underfocus phase-contrast transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images due to the large unit cell and the complex structures. Here, we present the structural investigation of mesostructured crystals via the combination of electron crystallographic Fourier synthesis and high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) that only relies on the mass-thickness contrast. The three-dimensional electrostatic potential is reconstructed from the amplitudes and phases extracted from the Fourier transforms of the corresponding HAADF-STEM images and merged into a set of CSFs. This method is verified on silica scaffolds following a shifted double-diamond surface network with space group I41/amd. The results indicate that electron crystallography reconstruction by HAADF-STEM images is more suitable and accurate in determining the structure in comparison with conventional TEM electron crystallography reconstruction. This approach transfers the contrast of mesostructured crystals to images more accurately and the relationship between the Fourier transforms of HAADF-STEM images and the CSFs is more intuitive. It shows great advantages for the structural solution of crystals on the mesostructural scale.

With the assimilation of satellite-based sea-ice thickness (SIT) data, the new SIT reanalysis from the Towards an Operational Prediction system for the North Atlantic European coastal Zones (TOPAZ4) was released from 2014 to 2018. Apart from assimilating sea-ice concentration and oceanic variables, TOPAZ4 further assimilates CS2SMOS SIT. In this study, the 5-year reanalysis is compared with CS2SMOS, the Pan-Arctic Ice-Ocean Modeling and Assimilating System (PIOMAS) and the Combined Model and Satellite Thickness (CMST). Moreover, we evaluate TOPAZ4 SIT with field observations from upward-looking sonar (ULS), ice mass-balance buoys, Operation IceBridge Quicklook and Sea State Ship-borne Observations. The results indicate TOPAZ4 well reproduces the spatial characteristics of the Arctic SIT distributions, with large differences with CS2SMOS/PIOMAS/CMST mainly restricted to the Atlantic Sector and to the month of September. TOPAZ4 shows thinner ice in March and April, especially to the north of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago with a mean bias of −0.30 m when compared to IceBridge. Besides, TOPAZ4 simulates thicker ice in the Beaufort Sea when compared to ULS, with a mean bias of 0.11 m all year round. The benefit from assimilating SIT data in TOPAZ4 is reflected in a 34% improvement in root mean square deviation.

The prognostic factor for in-hospital mortality in tuberculosis (TB) patients requiring intensive care unit (ICU) care remains unclear. Therefore, a retrospective study was conducted aiming to estimate the in-hospital mortality rate and the risk factors for mortality in a high-burden setting. All patients with culture-confirmed TB that were admitted to the ICU of the hospital between March 2012 and April 2019 were identified retrospectively. Data, such as demographic characteristics, comorbidities, laboratory measures and mortality, were obtained from medical records. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to identify prognostic factors that influence in-hospital mortality. A total of 82 ICU patients with confirmed TB were included in the analysis, and 22 deaths were observed during the hospital stay, 21 patients died in the ICU. In the multivariable model adjusted for sex and age, the levels of serum albumin and white blood cell (WBC) count were significantly associated with mortality in TB patients requiring ICU care (all P < 0.01), the hazard ratios were 0.8 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.7–0.9) per 1 g/l and 1.1 (95% CI: 1.0–1.2) per 1 × 109/l, respectively. In conclusion, in-hospital mortality remains high in TB patients requiring ICU care. Low serum albumin level and high WBC count significantly impact the risk of mortality in these TB patients in China.

In this article, we discuss the backgrounds and technical details about several smart manufacturing projects in a tier-one electronics manufacturing facility. We devise a process to manage logistic forecast and inventory preparation for electronic parts using historical data and a recurrent neural network to achieve significant improvement over current methods. We present a system for automatically qualifying laptop software for mass production through computer vision and automation technology. The result is a reliable system that can save hundreds of man-years in the qualification process. Finally, we create a deep learning-based algorithm for visual inspection of product appearances, which requires significantly less defect training data compared to traditional approaches. For production needs, we design an automatic optical inspection machine suitable for our algorithm and process. We also discuss the issues for data collection and enabling smart manufacturing projects in a factory setting, where the projects operate on a delicate balance between process innovations and cost-saving measures.

Although the progression of invasive aspergillosis (IA) shares some risk factors in the development of active pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), however, the prevalence of IA in suspected PTB remains unclear. During a period of 1 year (from January 2016 to December 2016), consecutive patients with suspected PTB were included in a referral TB hospital. Data, including demographic information and underlying diseases, were collected from medical records. PTB were all confirmed by mycobacterial culture (Lowenstein–Jensen medium). IA were diagnosed as proven or probable according to the criteria of the 2008 EORTC/MSG definitions. A descriptive analysis was performed to estimate the corresponding prevalence. During the study year, 1507 patients have a positive mycobacterial culture, with a mean age of 45.6 (s.d. 19.9) years old and a female:male ratio of 1:4. Among the 82 patients with non-tuberculous mycobacterial diseases, two patients (2.44%, 95% CI 0.67–8.46%) were diagnosed as IA (one proven and one probable); two probable IA patients (0.15%, 95% CI 0.04–0.55%) were diagnosed in PTB patients (n = 1315), and all were retreatment cases. In addition, all four IA patients (100%) exhibited cavities in both lobes on radiograph. In China, the prevalence of IA is low in active PTB patients. However, when high-risk factors for IA are encountered in PTB patients, further investigations are required and empirically treatment for IA might be warranted.

Underground Nuclear Astrophysics in China (JUNA) will take the advantage of the ultra-low background in Jinping underground lab. High current accelerator with an ECR source and detectors were commissioned. JUNA plans to study directly a number of nuclear reactions important to hydrostatic stellar evolution at their relevant stellar energies. At the first period, JUNA aims at the direct measurements of 25Mg(p,γ)26 Al, 19F(p,α) 16 O, 13C(α, n) 16O and 12C(α,γ) 16O near the Gamow window. The current progress of JUNA will be given.

Monosized spherical Cu–20% Sn (wt%) alloy particles with diameter ranging from 70.6 to 334.0 μm were prepared by the pulsated orifice ejection method (termed “POEM”). Fully dense without pores and bulk inclusions, the cross-sectional micrographs of the spherical alloy particles indicate an even distribution of Cu and Sn. These spherical Cu–Sn alloy particles exhibit a good spherical shape and a narrow size distribution, suggesting that the liquid Cu–Sn alloy can completely break the balance between the surface tension and the liquid static pressure in the crucible micropores and accurately control the volume of the droplets. Furthermore, the cooling rate of spherical Cu–20% Sn alloy particles is estimated by a Newton’s cooling model. The cooling rate of the Cu–20% Sn alloy particle decreases gradually with the particle diameter increasing. Smaller particles have higher cooling rates and when the particle diameter is less than 70 μm, the cooling rate of particles can reach more than 3.3 × 104 K/s. The secondary dendrite arm spacing has strong dependence on particle diameter which increases gradually with the increase of particle diameter. The results demonstrate that POEM is an effective route for fabrication of high-quality monosized Cu–20% Sn alloy particles.

The fuzziness of the traditional multiaxial fatigue prediction model is discussed and the fuzzy theory is applied into fatigue reliability analysis. The fuzzy linear regression analysis method is used to determine the fuzzy coefficients in the multiaxial stress–life equation under a small sample condition, and the corresponding multiaxial fatigue probabilistic stress–life curve is calculated with different confidence levels.

Recent studies have suggested an association between vitamin D and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); however, some results are subject to debate. This study was carried out to evaluate the correlation between NAFLD and vitamin D in men and women in East China. The data were obtained from a cross-sectional study that focused on the health and metabolic status of adults in sixteen areas of East China. According to ultrasonic assessments, the patients were divided into normal and NAFLD groups. Demographic characteristics and biochemical measurements were obtained. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to explore the association. In total, 5066 subjects were enrolled, and 2193 (43·3 %) were diagnosed with NAFLD; 84·56 % of the subjects showed vitamin D deficiency. Subjects with high vitamin D levels had a lower prevalence of NAFLD, particularly male subjects. Within the highest quartile of vitamin D levels, the prevalence of NAFLD was 40·8 %, whereas the lowest quartile of vitamin D levels showed a prevalence of 62·2 %, which was unchanged in women across the vitamin D levels. Binary logistic analysis showed that decreased vitamin D levels were associated with an increased risk of NAFLD (OR 1·54; 95 % CI 1·26, 1·88). This study suggests that vitamin D levels are significantly associated with NAFLD and that vitamin D acts as an independent factor for NAFLD prevalence, particularly in males in East China. Vitamin D interventional treatment might be a new target for controlling NAFLD; elucidating the mechanism requires further research.