Association of GSTM1 Null Allele with Prostate Cancer Risk: Evidence from 36 Case-Control Studies

WOS:000312385200061Peer reviewe

Interpretation for Individual Brain Age Prediction Based on Gray Matter Volume

The relationship between age and the central nervous system (CNS) in humans has been a classical issue that has aroused extensive attention. Especially for individuals, it is of far greater importance to clarify the mechanisms between CNS and age. The primary goal of existing methods is to use MR images to derive high-accuracy predictions for age or degenerative diseases. However, the associated mechanisms between the images and the age have rarely been investigated. In this paper, we address the correlation between gray matter volume (GMV) and age, both in terms of gray matter themselves and their interaction network, using interpretable machine learning models for individuals. Our goal is not only to predict age accurately but more importantly, to explore the relationship between GMV and age. In addition to targeting each individual, we also investigate the dynamic properties of gray matter and their interaction network with individual age. The results show that the mean absolute error (MAE) of age prediction is 7.95 years. More notably, specific locations of gray matter and their interactions play different roles in age, and these roles change dynamically with age. The proposed method is a data-driven approach, which provides a new way to study aging mechanisms and even to diagnose degenerative brain diseases

Stress interference calculation model and its application in volume stimulation of horizontal wells

A new model for calculating stress fields of fractured media was established by incorporating stress correction factor based on displacement discontinuity boundary element method. The accuracy of the new model is close to 3D displacement discontinuity model, and its calculation is significantly simplified. An algorithm for multi-fracture propagation geometry was proposed based on fracture criterion and fracture growth rate law, which was used to investigate multi-fracture stress interference and propagation geometry. The results show that the size of stress interference is determined by the shortest dimension of fracture face, which is 1.2−1.5 times fracture height when fracture length is longer than fracture height, and 1.2−1.5 times fracture length when fracture length is shorter than fracture height. The larger the ratio of fracture spacing to fracture height, or the smaller the ratio of net pressure to the differential principle stress, the more close to well-bores the deviation position is, and the larger the deviation angle is. The middle fracture propagates to the fracture at a further distance and one dominating fracture propagates longest when three-cluster fractures are not equally spaced, while the middle fracture propagates straightly when three-cluster fractures are equally spaced. Key words: horizontal well, volume fracturing, stress interference, displacement discontinuity method, fracture deviation, multi-fracture propagation, unequally distributed fractur

The Oxidation Process and Methods for Improving Reactivity of Al

Aluminum (Al) has been widely used in micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), polymer bonded explosives (PBXs) and solid propellants. Its typical core-shell structure (the inside active Al core and the external alumina (Al2O3) shell) determines its oxidation process, which is mainly influenced by oxidant diffusion, Al2O3 crystal transformation and melt-dispersion of the inside active Al. Consequently, the properties of Al can be controlled by changing these factors. Metastable intermixed composites (MICs), flake Al and nano Al can improve the properties of Al by increasing the diffusion efficiency of the oxidant. Fluorine, Titanium carbide (TiC), and alloy can crack the Al2O3 shell to improve the properties of Al. Furthermore, those materials with good thermal conductivity can increase the heat transferred to the internal active Al, which can also improve the reactivity of Al. Now, the integration of different modification methods is employed to further improve the properties of Al. With the ever-increasing demands on the performance of MEMS, PBXs and solid propellants, Al-based composite materials with high stability during storage and transportation, and high reactivity for usage will become a new research focus in the future

Integrating a Metal–Organic Framework into Natural Spruce Wood for Efficient Solar-Powered Water Evaporation

With the increase in water consumption and pollution resulting from the rising world population and industrial development, severe fresh water shortage has been regarded as one of the critical problems facing the world. Solar-driven water purification is an environment friendly and promising technology to address the problem. However, low photothermal conversion efficiency impedes its practical application. Herein, a natural spruce wood-based solar evaporator functionalized with zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) nanoparticles and polydopamine (PDA) layers is designed, which significantly reduces the equivalent evaporation enthalpy and substantially boosts solar evaporation efficiency. The evaporation rate of the optimized wood-based evaporator reached 2.28 kg m−2 h−1 with a high evaporation efficiency of 87.5% under 1.0 sun. Furthermore, the integrated spruce wood/ZIF-8/PDA hybrids can remove organic pollutants after solar evaporation. Notably, the constructed multifunctional solar evaporator takes advantage of sustainable solar energy, low-cost biomass, and ZIF-8/PDA nanostructures to acquire desirable performance in water evaporation and sewage purification.</p

The Oxidation Process and Methods for Improving Reactivity of Al

Aluminum (Al) has been widely used in micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), polymer bonded explosives (PBXs) and solid propellants. Its typical core-shell structure (the inside active Al core and the external alumina (Al2O3) shell) determines its oxidation process, which is mainly influenced by oxidant diffusion, Al2O3 crystal transformation and melt-dispersion of the inside active Al. Consequently, the properties of Al can be controlled by changing these factors. Metastable intermixed composites (MICs), flake Al and nano Al can improve the properties of Al by increasing the diffusion efficiency of the oxidant. Fluorine, Titanium carbide (TiC), and alloy can crack the Al2O3 shell to improve the properties of Al. Furthermore, those materials with good thermal conductivity can increase the heat transferred to the internal active Al, which can also improve the reactivity of Al. Now, the integration of different modification methods is employed to further improve the properties of Al. With the ever-increasing demands on the performance of MEMS, PBXs and solid propellants, Al-based composite materials with high stability during storage and transportation, and high reactivity for usage will become a new research focus in the future