The shortwave infrared Ge-Si photodetector will become the core device of the LiDAR optical receiver. In order to meet the urgent demand for photodetectors in the LiDAR field, we have designed and produced a 32×32 pixel Ge-Si photodetector array proposed and developed to meet the performance requirements of the detector array. A dark current detection system for fast scanning and detecting large-scale Ge-Si detector arrays is proposed and developed to achieve rapid detection of dark current in each pixel of the detector. The system was used to validate the main performance indicators of the detector array we designed, achieving rapid discrimination of array performance and rapid localization of damaged pixels. The scanning test results show that the average dark current of the detector array chip we designed is at the nano ampere level, and the proportion of bad points is less than 1%. The consistency of the array chip is high, which can meet the requirements of light detection at the receiving end of the LiDAR. This work laid the foundation for our subsequent development of a LiDAR prototype system.

Salinity acts as a critical environmental filter on microbial communities in natural systems, negatively affecting microbial diversity. However, how salinity affects the community assembly remains unclear. This study used Wendeng multi-pond saltern as a model to evaluate the prokaryotic community composition and diversity and quantify the relative importance of ecological processes across salinity gradients. Results showed that low saline salterns (45-80 g/L) exhibited higher bacterial diversity than those in high saline salterns (175-265 g/L). The relative abundance of taxa assigned to Halanaerobiaceae, Haloferacaceae, Desulfohalobiaceae, Phormidiaceae, Rohodobacteraceae, and Nitrococcaceae was higher with increasing salinity. Salinity and pH were the primary environmental factors that directly or indirectly determined the composition and diversity of prokaryotic communities. Microbial co-occurrence network dynamics were more complex in the sediment than in water of salterns. An infer Community Assembly Mechanisms by Phylogenetic-bin-based null model analysis (iCAMP) showed that microbial community assembly in sediment and water differed. Our findings provide more information about microbial community structure and the importance of various ecological processes in controlling microbial community diversity and succession along salinity gradients in water and sediment environments.

The 8Nb isopleth section of a Ti-Al-Nb system is experimentally determined based on thermal analysis and thermodynamic calculation methods to obtain the phase transformation and equilibrium relations required for material design and fabrication. The phase transus and relations for the 8Nb-TiAl system show some deviations from the calculated thermodynamic results. The ordered βo phase transforms from the disordered β/α phases at 1200–1400 °C over a large Al concentration range, and this transformation is considered to be an intermediate type between the first- and second-order phase transitions. Moreover, the βo phases are retained at the ambient temperature in the 8Nb-TiAl microstructures. The ωo phase transforms from the highly ordered βo phase, rather than from α2 or βo with low degree of atom ordering B2 (LOB2) structure, with Al concentration of 32–43 at.% at approximately 850 °C. From the experimental detection, the transition of the ωo phase from the βo phase is considered to be a further ordering process.

We propose a new approach of extending the laser filament plasma channel. By adding a circular aperture quartz plate before the focusing lens, the extension of the plasma channel is doubled. The effects of different diameters, thicknesses of the circular aperture quartz plate and different pulse energies on the length of the plasma channel were investigated. The experimental results show that the thickness of the quartz plate and the depth of the hole have little effects on the plasma channel of the filament, and the diameter of the hole in the center of the quartz plate has a significant effect on the length of the optical filament. The moving-focus model is used to explain the extension of the optical filament.

Currently, there is no specific treatment for COVID-19 proven by clinical trials. WHO and CDC guidelines therefore endorse supportive care only. However, frontline clinicians have been applying several virus-based and host-based therapeutics in order to combat SARS-CoV-2. Medications from COVID-19 case reports, observational studies and the COVID-19 Treatment Guideline issued by the China's National Health Commission (7^th edition published March 3^rd, 2020. Edited translation attached) are evaluated in this review. Key evidence from relevant in vitro researches, animal models and clinical studies in SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV are examined. Antiviral therapies remdesivir, lopinavir/ritonavir and umifenovir, if considered, could be initiated before the peak of viral replication for optimal outcomes. Ribavirin may be beneficial as an add-on therapy and is ineffective as a monotherapy. Corticosteroids use should be limited without indicating comorbidities. IVIG is not recommended due to lack of data in COVID-19. Xuebijing may benefit patients with complications of bacterial pneumonia or sepsis. The efficacy of interferon is unclear due to conflicting outcomes in SARS and MERS studies. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine have shown in vitro inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 and may be beneficial as both prophylactic and treatment therapy. For patients who developed cytokine release syndrome, interleukin-6 inhibitors may be beneficial. Given the rapid disease spread and increasing mortality, active treatment with readily available medications may be considered timely prior to disease progression.

Since 2007, highly pathogenic clade 2.3.2 H5N1 avian influenza A [A(H5N1)] viruses have evolved to clade 2.3.2.1a, b and c, and currently only 2.3.2.1c A(H5N1) viruses circulate in wild birds and poultry. During antigenic evolution, clade 2.3.2.1a and c A(H5N1) viruses acquired both S144N and V223I mutations around the receptor binding site of hemagglutinin (HA), with S144N generating an N-glycosylation sequon. We introduced single or combined reverse mutations, N144S and/or I223V, into the HA gene of clade 2.3.2.1c A(H5N1) virus and generated PR8-derived, 2 + 6 recombinant A(H5N1) viruses. When we compared replication efficiency in embryonated chicken eggs, mammalian cells and mice, the recombinant virus containing both N144S and I223V mutations showed increased replication efficiency in avian and mammalian hosts and pathogenicity in mice. The N144S mutation significantly decreased avian receptor affinity and egg white inhibition, but not all mutations increased mammalian receptor affinity. Interestingly, the combined reverse mutations dramatically increased the thermostability of HA. Therefore, the adaptive mutations possibly acquired to evade avian immunity may decrease viral thermostability as well as mammalian pathogenicity.

Researches on flexible thermoelectric (TE) materials usually focus on conducting polymers (CPs) and CP-based composites; however, it is a great challenge to obtain high TE properties comparable to inorganic counterparts. Here, we report an n-type Ag₂Se film on flexible nylon membrane with an ultrahigh power factor ~987.4 ± 104.1 μWm⁻¹K⁻² at 300 K and an excellent flexibility (93% of the original electrical conductivity retention after 1000 bending cycles around a 8-mm diameter rod). The flexibility is attributed to a synergetic effect of the nylon membrane and the Ag₂Se film intertwined with numerous high-aspect-ratio Ag₂Se grains. A TE prototype composed of 4-leg of the hybrid film generates a voltage and a maximum power of 19 mV and 460 nW, respectively, at a temperature difference of 30 K. This work opens opportunities of searching for high performance TE film for flexible TE devices.

In this study, we investigated the effects of Akebia quinata ethanol extract (AE), Akebia quinata sikhye (AS), and Akebia quinata water extract (AW) on alcohol-induced liver injury in rats. The hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and antioxidant effects of AE, AS, and AW were examined. Experimental animals were randomly divided into five groups: normal, ethanol, AE (10 mL/kg), AS (10 mL/kg), and AW (10 mL/kg). Each group was administered the respective treatment orally once per day for 21 days. CYP2E1 mRNA expression was significantly lower in the AE, AS, and AW groups than that in the ethanol group. Pro-inflammatory cytokines including cyclooxygenase-2, IL-6, and TNF-α increased significantly in the ethanol group but these increases were ameliorated with AE, AS, and AW treatment. Moreover, the expression of the apoptosis-associated proteins Bax, p53, procaspase-3, and PARP decreased after treatment with AE, AS, and AW. The expression of antioxidant enzymes including BCL-2, SOD, and GST slightly decreased in the ethanol group, but AE, AS, and AW treatment augmented their activities. AQ extracts and AS attenuated ethanol-induced increases in the levels of phosphorylated p-AKT, p-ERK, and p-JNK. These results demonstrate that AQ is a competence indicator for inhibiting alcoholic liver injury.

This study examined the tourism spatial distribution of nine cities in the Fujian province and assessed the impacts of COVID-19. The modified gravity model found that it was widely dispersed, with uneven and relatively independent tourism development in different cities. The social network analysis showed that tourism connections across cities were significantly reduced after the pandemic. The impacts of brand awareness and transport accessibility on spatial networks were positive in pre-pandemic but became negative during the pandemic. In contrast, tourist volume had negative impacts on spatial networks in pre-pandemic but had positive ones during the pandemic. Tourism resources and market performance had significantly positive impacts in the post-pandemic era. These findings provide advice on tourism recovery and destination management in coping with future critical events. It also contributes to the theoretical gravity framework in tourism and the research scope of the social networks analysis at the city level.

Population is the main driver of land systems and environmental change. However, the population is usually treated as a variable that only considers the population number, and the multidimensional population structure is largely ignored. There has been a systematic transition of population structure in the past several decades, such as the changing household structure, the increasing aging population and divorce rate, and human migration. All these have direct or indirect impacts on land use and environmental issues. Here, we will take China as an example to examine the relationship between household dynamics and land use change in China by exam-ining changes in household structure and land use change in China between 1980 and 2020. The results show:1) the number of households increased by 130.95% from 1980 to 2020, while the population only increased by 42.83%. The size of households decreased from 4.41 to 2.92 in China from 1982 to 2020. The household dynamics vary from province to province, which is affected by urbanization rate and economic development. 2) Birth rates, divorce rates, population aging, and migration all affect household structure, which directly or indirectly affects changes in land use systems. 3) The changes in China's land use are interlinked and interact with changes in household structure, evident in the increase in residential land use and the abandonment of arable land. The rising household number increased the area of urban and rural settlement, leading to the fragmentation of cultivated land and the reduction of ecological land. To regulate land use change for sustainable development, future land use planning should take into effect of household dynamics, and reduce the negative effects of household dynamics on land systems and environmental change.

Blood testing is a crucial application in the field of clinical studies for disease diagnosis and screening, biomarkers discovery, organ function assessment, and personalized medication. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to collect precise data in a short time. In this study, we utilized Raman spectroscopy to analyze blood samples and extracted comprehensive biological information, including the primary components and compositions present in the blood. We conducted short-wavelength (532 nm green light) Raman scattering spectroscopy on blood samples, plasma, and serum, and subsequently analyzed the biological characteristics detected in each sample type. Our results indicated that whole blood had high hemoglobin content, which suggests that hemoglobin is a major component of blood. The characteristic Raman peaks of hemoglobin were observed at 690, 989, 1015, 1182, 1233, 1315, and 1562–1649 cm−1. Analysis of plasma and serum samples indicated the presence of β-carotene, which exhibited characteristic peaks at 1013, 1172, and 1526 cm−1. Additionally, in the field of medical blood testing, the novel 3D Silicon micro-channel device technology holds immense potential. It can serve as a substrate and helps to detect various diseases and biomarkers, providing real-time data to help medical professionals and patients better understand their health conditions. Changes in biological data collected in this manner could potentially be used to diagnose clinical diseases.

To date, recanalization interventions are the only available treatments for ischemic stroke patients, however, there are no effective therapies for reducing stroke-induced neuroinflammation. We recently reported that H+ extrusion protein Na+/H+ exchanger-1 (NHE1) plays an important role in stroke-induced inflammation and white matter injury. In this study, we tested the efficacy of two potent NHE1 inhibitors, HOE642 and Rimeporide, with a delayed administration regimen starting at 24 h post-stroke in adult C57BL/6J mice. Post-stroke HOE642 and Rimeporide treatments accelerated motor and cognitive function recovery without affecting the initial ischemic infarct, neuronal damage or reactive astrogliosis. However, delayed administration of NHE1 blockers after ischemic stroke significantly reduced microglial inflammatory activation while enhanced oligodendrogenesis and white matter myelination, with increased proliferation and decreased apoptosis of the oligodendrocytes. Our findings suggest that NHE1 protein plays an important role in microglia-mediated inflammation and white matter damage. Pharmacological blockade of NHE1 protein activity reduced microglia inflammatory responses and enhanced oligodendrogenesis and white matter repair, leading to motor and cognitive function recovery after stroke. Our study reveals the potential of targeting NHE1 protein as therapeutic strategy for ischemic stroke therapy.

The present study investigated the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and their receptors and binding proteins among different pig breeds during weaning. Sixty Duroc (DR), Taoyuan black (TB), and Xiangcun black (XB) piglets (20 piglets per breed) were selected at 21 and 24 days of age (three days of post-weaning) to analyze organ indices, plasma concentrations of IGF and IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) using ELISA kits, and gene expression of IGF system-related components in different tissues. The plasma IGFBP-3 level in TB piglets was higher (P > 0.05) than in the XB and DR piglets at 21 days of age. At 21 days of age, compared with the DR piglets, the IGF-1 expression was lower (P < 0.05) in the kidney but was higher (P < 0.05) in the spleen of XB and TB piglets. At 24 days of age, the IGF-1 expression was higher (P < 0.05) in the kidney of TB piglets than in the XB and DR piglets, while IGFBP-3 in the stomach and IGFBP-4 in the liver of XB and TB piglets were lower (P < 0.05) compared with the DR piglets. Weaning down-regulated (P < 0.05) the IGF-1 expression in the jejunum, spleen, and liver of piglets, while up-regulated (P < 0.05) IGFBP-3 expression in the stomach, IGFBP-4 in the liver, IGFBP-5 in the ileum, and IGFBP-6 in the jejunum of DR piglets. Spearman’s correlation analysis showed a negative correlation (P < 0.05) between plasma IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-5 and the organ index of piglets. Collectively, there were significant differences in IGF system components among different pig breeds. The IGF system components were altered during weaning, which might be involved in weaning stress to decrease the growth of piglets.

Due to the advantages of low latency, low power consumption and high flexibility of FPGA-based acceleration technology, it has been more and more widely studied and applied in the field of computer vision in recent years. An FPGA-based feature extraction and tracking accelerator for real-time visual odometry (VO) and visual simultaneous localization and mapping (V-SLAM) is proposed, which can realize the complete acceleration processing capability of the image front-end and directly output the feature point ID and coordinates to the backend. The accelerator consists of image preprocessing, pyramid processing, optical flow processing, and feature extraction and tracking modules. For the first time, it implements a hardware solution that combines features from accelerated segment test (FAST) corners with Gunnar Farneback (GF) dense optical flow, to achieve better feature tracking performance and provide more flexible technical route selection. In order to solve the scale invariance and rotation invariance lacking problem of FAST features, an efficient pyramid module with a five-layer thumbnail structure is designed and implemented. The accelerator is implemented on a modern Xilinx Zynq FPGA. The evaluation result shows that the accelerator can achieve stable tracking of features of violently shaking images, and is consistent with the results of MATLAB code running on PC. When operating at 100MHz, the accelerator can process 108 frames per second for 720P images and 48 frames per second for 1080P images. Compared to PC CPUs that consume seconds of time, the processing latency is greatly reduced to the order of milliseconds, making GF dense optical flow an efficient and practical technical solution on the edge side.

Benign design of alkali-activated slag/FA geopolymer paste has intriguing increasing attention for optimizing its service performance. Therefore, the replacement of fly ash (FA) with 10 wt% silica fume (SF) is investigated by mechanical strength after freeze-thawing cycles and microstructure characterization. The results show that an appropriate dosage (30 wt%) of slag is necessary to attain alkali-activated slag/FA geopolymer paste with excellent mechanical performance, and the SF/slag/FA (SF: slag: FA= 10:30:60, wt%) geopolymer paste exerts the compressive and flexural strength of 95.2 and 3.2 MPa, respectively. Meanwhile, the doped 10 wt% SF facilitates the propagation of (N, C)-A–S–H chains, rather than the formation of C-S-H gels, evidenced by the absent exothermic peak at about 861oC from the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curves, leading to the increases in the pores volume with a pore diameter<20 nm and tortuosity by mercury intrusion porosimeter (MIP) results, corresponding to an improved freezing-thawing resistance with the residual compressive strength of 52.8 MPa and the weight loss of 10.5% after 300 freeze-thawing cycles. It explores a cost-effective and benign facile approach to designing heating curing-free alkali-activated slag/FA geopolymer paste with good freezing-thawing resistance.

MCrAlYHf bond coats are employed in jet and aircraft engines, stationary gas turbines, and power plants, which require strong resistance to oxidation at high temperatures. The oxidation behavior of a free-standing CoNiCrAlYHf coating was investigated in this study. Isothermal oxidation tests were performed in air at 1050 °C on the specimens with various levels of surface roughness to investigate the oxidation kinetics. X-ray diffraction, focused ion beam, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and scanning transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the surface oxides. The surface roughness was examined using a contact profilometer and SEM. An empirical model was proposed to elucidate the impact of surface roughness on the oxidation behavior based on the correlation between the surface roughness level and oxidation rates.

Recycling of metallurgical solid waste has intriguing increasing attention for fabricating cementitious materials, due to its low-carbon emission, cost-effectiveness, and environmental conservation. Herein, the effects of silica fume (SF) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of alkali-activated slag/FA (fly ash) pastes subjected to elevated temperatures (150, 500, 850, and 1200℃) are investigated, to clarify the fact that whether or not the SF generates positive roles in mechanical properties of slag/FA geopolymers. The results show that the replacement with 10 wt% SF (silica fume) promotes the increasing pore volume with a diameter of 0.2~3 μm at room temperature, leading to an increase in the compressive or flexural strength, “right shifts” of endothermic peak and the initial-final temperature of mass loss, presenting a denser and compact fracture surface. Meanwhile, the mineral phase of gehlenite and labradorite emerges after exposure above 850℃ from the XRD results. Furthermore, the bloating effect of the incorporated SF occurs due to the formation of a liquid phase altogether with the amorphous silicates after exposure to 1200℃, leading to a greater deformation and enhancement of restructuring involved in the [SiO4]4− and [AlO4]5−. It explores an effective recycling approach for fabricating paste binders using metallurgical solid wastes.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery has been regarded as an important candidate for the next-generation energy storage system due to its high theoretical capacity (1675 mAh g-1) and high energy density (2600 Wh kg-1). However, the shuttle effect of polysulfide seriously affects the cycling stability of the Li-S battery. Here, a novel Fe3C decorated folic acid-derived graphene-like N-doped carbon sheet (Fe3C@N-CS) was successfully prepared as the polysulfide catalyst to modify the separator of Li-S battery. The porous layered structures can successfully capture polysulfide as a physical barrier, and the encapsulated Fe3C catalyst can effectively trap and catalyze the conversion of polysulfide, thus accelerating the redox reaction kinetics. Together with the highly conductive networks, the cell with Fe3C@N-CS modified separator evinces superior cycling stability with 0.06% capacity decay per cycle at 1 C rate over 500 cycles and excellent specific capacity with an initial capacity of 1260 mAh g-1 at 0.2 C. Besides, at a high sulfur loading of 4.0 mg cm-2, the batteries also express superb cycle stability and rate performance.

Carrot juice and its associated beverage products are well-known healthy drinks all over the world. However, what effect carrot juice has on the human gut microbiota and how it is fermented by the intestinal microbes have not been studied. Here, using an in vitro model of anaerobic fermentation, we demonstrated that carrot juice could be fermented into lactate and acetate by the human gut microbiota. 16S high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic analyses indicated that fermentation of carrot juice could significantly change the composition of the human gut microbiome. Interestingly, carrot juice remarkably increased the abundances of beneficial bacteria, including Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactobacillus mucosae and Bacteroides uniformis and decreased the population of opportunistic pathogenic bacteria, such as Enterococcus faecium in the gut. Collectively, our study illustrates a favorable effect of carrot juice on the human gut microbiota and lays a foundation for the development of carrot juice as a novel prebiotic agent.

In this work, a tailored extreme learning machine (ELM) algorithm to enhance the overall robustness of gas analyzer based on the tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) method is presented. The ELM model is tailored through activation function selection, input weight and bias searching, and cross validation method to address the analyzer robustness issues for industrial process analysis field application. The two particular issues are the inaccurate gas concentration measurement caused by the process gas background components variation, and the inaccurate spectra shift calculation caused by spectral interference. By using our algorithm, the concentration error is reduced by one order of magnitude over a much larger stream pressure and component range compared with that obtained by classical least square (CLS) fitting methods based on reference curves. Additionally, it is shown that with our algorithm, the wavelength shift accuracy is improved to less than 1 count over 1000 counts spectra length. In order to test the viability of our algorithm, a trace ethylene (C₂H₄) TDLAS analyzer with coexisting methane was implemented, and its experimental measurements support analyzing robustness enhancement effect.

Software-based ultrasound imaging systems provide high flexibility that allows easy and fast adoption of newly developed algorithms. However, the extremely high data rate required for data transfer from sensors (e.g., transducers) to the ultrasound imaging systems is a major bottleneck in the software-based architecture, especially in the context of real-time imaging. To overcome this limitation, in this paper, we present a Binary cLuster (BL) code, which yields an improved compression ratio compared to the exponential Golomb code. Owing to the real-time encoding/decoding features without overheads, the universal code is a good solution to reduce the data transfer rate for software-based ultrasound imaging. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated using in vitro and in vivo data sets. It was demonstrated that the BL-beta code has a good stable lossless compression performance of 20 ~ 30% while requiring no auxiliary memory or storage.

Microencapsulation of polyherbal formulation (PHF) extract was carried out by freeze drying method, by employing gum arabic (GA), gelatin (GE), and maltodextrin (MD) with their designated different combinations as encapsulating wall materials. Antioxidant components (i.e total phenolic contents (TPC),Total flavonoids contents (TFC), and total condensed contents (TCT)), antioxidant activity (i.e. DPPH, β-carotene & ABTS⁺ assays), moisture contents, water activity (aw), solubility, hygroscopicity, glass transition temperature (T_g), particle size, morphology, in vitro alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase inhibition and bioavailability ratios of the powders were investigated. Amongst all encapsulated products, T_B (5% GA and 5% MD) and T_C (10% GA) has proven to be the best treatments with respect to the highest preservation of antioxidant components and their antioxidant potential by DPPH and β-carotene assays and noteworthy for an ABTS⁺ assays, in addition, the aforesaid treatments also demonstrated lower moisture content, aw, particle size and higher solubility, hygroscopicity and glass transition temperature (T_g). All freeze dried samples showed irregular (asymmetrical) microcrystalline structures. Furthermore, T_B and T_C also illustrated the highest in vitro anti-diabetic potential due to great potency for inhibiting alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase activities. In the perspective of bioavailability, T_A, T_B and T_C demonstrated the excellent bioavailability ratios (%).Futhermore, the phytochemo-profiling of ethanolic extract of PHF was also revealed to find out the bioactive compounds.

Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification based-Lateral Flow Testing (INAA-LFT) has emerged as a robust technique for on-site pathogen detection, providing a visible indication of pathogen nucleic acid amplification that rivals or even surpasses the sensitivity of real-time quantitative PCR. The isothermal nature of INAA-LFT ensures consistent conditions for nucleic acid amplification, establishing it as a crucial technology for rapid on-site pathogen detection. However, despite its considerable promise, the widespread application of isothermal INAA amplification-based lateral flow testing faces several challenges. This review provides an overview of the INAA-LFT procedure, highlighting its advancements in detecting plant viruses. Moreover, the review underscores the imperative to address existing limitations and emphasizes ongoing research efforts dedicated to enhancing the applicability and performance of this technology in the realm of rapid on-site testing.

Biliary tract cancers, including intrahepatic, perihilar, and distal cholangiocarcinomas, as well as gallbladder cancer, are a heterogeneous group of cancers with distinct molecular characteristics in each anatomic and pathological subtype. The pathological classification of BTC includes grossly classifiable growth patterns, such as mass-forming, periductal infiltrating, and intraductal growing. The small duct and large duct types of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma have been recently introduced in the WHO classification. Typical clinical presentations and various radiological, endoscopic, and molecular modalities for diagnosis are described in detail. To overcome the limitations of traditional tissue acquisition, new diagnostic modalities are being investigated. In fact, the treatment landscape is evolving rapidly owing to the emergence of distinct subgroups harboring unique molecular alterations with corresponding targeted therapies. In addition, we highlight the key points in the diagnostic process in real-world clinical practice for biliary tract cancer.

Tobacco smoke is an environmental mixture including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and may interfere in endocrine system as an EDC in aging. Thus, we performed a molecular epidemiological approach with in-depth biological monitoring of combustible cigarette smoking among adolescents and adults in South Korea (N=620) with exposure biomarkers, i.e., exhaled CO, urinary cotinine, t,t-muconic acid (TTMA), malondialdehyde (MDA), and obtained information of their lifestyle and tobacco addiction status. We also diagnosed the genetic polymorphisms on the 96 SNPs for tobacco-metabolism, -addiction, and expression differences and compared mtDNA abnormalities in buccal and blood cells. As results, there were positive associations among the above tobacco exposure biomarkers. Man or youth smokers showed high frequency in some of mtDNA alteration, such as ‘SNPs for inconsistent bases between buccal and blood cells’. Among the SNPs, the polymorphisms on SULT1A1, DRD2, and ADH1B were related to multi-exposure biomarkers. Interestingly, youth showed similar levels of urinary TTMA and MDA to adults, although their pack-year was approx. 1/6 volume of that of adults. We also observed the negative association between urinary MDA levels and the growth rate in the adolescents (p<0.05). In conclusion, the present biological monitoring provides high susceptible population, i.e., adolescents rather than adults, and reliable genetic factors affecting tobacco exposure. The inferred environment-gene-gene interaction suggests tobacco smoking accelerats aging in adolescents as an EDC.

To achieve a micro-destructive and rapid measurement of the wood density of standing trees, this study investigated the feasibility of using the micro-drilling resistance method, formulated a mathematical model, explored the potential for a unified model across multiple tree species, and analyzed the influence of moisture content on measurement accuracy. First, 231 tree cores and drill resistance data were sampled from Pinus massoniana, Cunninghamia lanceolate, and Cryptomeria fortunei. The basic density and moisture content of each core were measured, and the average value of each resistance data record was calculated. Second, the average drill resistance, the natural logarithm of average drill resistance, and absolute moisture content were used as independent variables, while the wood basic density was used as the dependent variable. Third, the total model of the three tree species and sub-model for each tree species were established through a stepwise regression method. Finally, the accuracy of each model was compared and analyzed with that of using the average basic density of each tree species as an estimated density. The results revealed that the estimation accuracy of the sub-model for each tree species was 1.670 percentage points higher than the average value of each tree species used as the density estimation value for these tree species. Additionally, except for Cryptomeria fortunei, the natural logarithm of drill resistance significantly influenced the wood density model at a significance level of 0.05. Moreover, moisture content significantly affected the total model and sub-models of Pinus massoniana at a significance level of 0.05. The estimation accuracy of the total mathematical model was 2.125 percentage points lower than that achieved using the average basic density of each tree species to predict their density. The results indicated the feasibility of using the micro-drilling resistance method to measure the wood density of standing trees. Moreover, the relationship between wood density and drill resistance did not follow a linear pattern, and moisture content slightly influenced the drill needle resistance. Furthermore, the establishment of a mathematical model for each tree species was deemed essential. This study provides valuable guidance for measuring the wood density of standing trees through the micro-drilling resistance method.

Silkworm ovary-derived BmN4 cells rely on chromatin-induced spindle assembly to form microtubule-based square mitotic spindles that ensure accurate segregation of holocentric chromosomes during cell division. The chromosome passenger protein Aurora B regulates chromosomal condensation and segregation, spindle assembly checkpoint, and cytokinesis; however, its role in holocentric organisms needs further clarification. This study examined the architecture and dynamics of spindle microtubules during prophase and metaphase in BmN4 cells and those with siRNA-mediated BmAurora B knockdown using immunofluorescence labelling. Anti-α-tubulin and anti-γ-tubulin antibodies revealed faint γ-tubulin signals co-localized with α-tubulin in early prophase during nuclear membrane rupture, which intensified as prophase progressed. At this stage, bright regions of α-tubulin around and on the nuclear membrane surrounding the chromatin suggested the start of microtubule assembling in the microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs). In metaphase, the number and size of γ-tubulin foci increased and were detected on both sides of the chromosomes. This resulted in a distinctive multipolar square spindle with holocentric chromosomes aligned at the metaphase plate. siRNA-mediated BmAurora B knockdown significantly reduced the γ-tubulin foci during prophase, impacting microtubule nucleation and spindle structure in metaphase. Spatiotemporal BmAurora B expression analysis provided new insights into the regulation of this mitotic kinase in silkworm larval gonads during gametogenesis. Our results suggest that BmAurora B is crucial for the formation of multipolar square spindles in holocentric insects, possibly through the activation of γ-tubulin ring complexes in multiple centrosome-like MTOCs.

Endophytic bacteria, especially those participate in nitrogen fixation, play critical roles in supplying essential nutrients for legume plant growth. Compared to the numerous bacterial microbiome reports targeting legume roots and nodules, little is known about embryonic bacteria that facilitate plant nutrient utilization after seed germination. Here, we collected and investigated endophytic bacterial microbiomes in edible pea (Pisum sativum) embryos using five representative cultivars and a pea sprout control. Twenty-six nitrogen-fixing bacteria (NFBs) were isolated from pea embryos, with three strains found in fresh pea (FGP) and snow pea (SP) exhibiting the strongest nitrogenase activity. Some NFB isolates are also potassium-solubilizing bacteria (KSBs) or phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria (PSBs) utilizing inorganic and/or organic phosphorus. All 26 NFBs showed variable levels of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) secretion. The nutrient-solubilizing NFBs identified in our research are valuable resources for biofertilizer development. At the microbiome level, high-throughput 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing of 40 bacterial collections from pea embryos revealed similar community structures and species abundances and diversities in most samples. Our embryo-derived endophytic bacterial pool provides a microbiome platform for seed dormancy and germination research of edible peas.

Bifenthrin (BF) is a new highly effective broad-spectrum insecticide that has gained widespread use. However, there is limited research on the potential toxic effects of bifenthrin pollution on amphibians. In this research, Chinese giant salamanders (CGS) were exposed to three different concentrations of BF (0, 0.04, and 4 g/L BF) for 1-week to investigate the toxic effects. Behavioral changes, liver pathology, oxidative stress factors, DNA damage, and transcriptome differences were observed and analyzed. The results showed that exposure to BF (0.04 and 4) significantly decreased the adenosine-triphosphate (ATP), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) contents in the brain, liver, and kidney of CGS, whereas the malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) contents were increased. The liver tissue showed considerable inflammatory reactions and structural malformations. RNAseq analysis of the liver showed that BF caused abnormal antioxidant indices of CGS, which affected molecular function genes such as catalytic activity, ATP-dependent activity, metabolic processes, signaling and immune system processes, behavior and detoxification significantly up-regulated, resulting the differential genes were significantly enriched in calcium signaling pathway, PPARα signaling pathway and NF-kB signaling pathway. These results indicated that BF induced the abnormal production of free radicals to exceed the potential of the self-defense system, causing different degrees of oxidative damage and lipid peroxidation in the body, resulting in oxidative stress, abnormal lipid metabolism, DNA damage, tissue inflammation, and abnormal behavior. This work provides a theoretical basis for the rational use of pyrethrin and environmental risks assessment, and scientific guidance for the conservation of amphibian populations.

Fanconi anemia (FA) develops due to a mutation in one of the FANC genes that are involved in repair of interstrand crosslinks (ICLs). FANCG, a member of the FA core complex, is essential for ICL repair. Previous FANCG-deficient mouse models were generated with drug-based selection cassettes in mixed mice backgrounds, leading to a disparity in interpretation of genotype-related phenotype. To exclude these confounders, we created a Fancg-KO (KO) mouse model using CRISPR/Cas9. The entire Fancg locus was targeted and maintained on the immunological well-characterized C57BL/6J background. Intercrossing of heterozygous mice resulted in sub-Mendelian numbers of homozygous mice, suggesting loss of FANCG can be embryonic lethal. KO mice displayed infertility, hypogonadism but no other developmental problems. Bone marrow analysis revealed a defect in various hematopoietic stem and progenitor subsets with a bias towards myelopoiesis. Cell lines derived from Fancg-KO mice were hypersensitive to crosslinking agents-cisplatin and Mitomycin C, and Fancg-KO mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) displayed increased γ-H2AX upon cisplatin treatment. Reconstitution of these MEFs with Fancg cDNA corrected for the ICL hypersensitivity. Collectively, this project provides a new, genetically and immunologically well-defined Fancg-KO mouse model for further in vivo and in vitro studies on FANCG and ICL repair.

Azapeptides have gained much attention due to their ability to enhance the stability and bioavailability of peptide drugs. Their structural preferences, essential to understanding their function and potential applica-tion in the peptide drug design, remain largely unknown. In this work, we systematically investigated the conformational preferences of three azaamino acid residues in tripeptide models, Ac-azaXaa-Pro-NHMe [Xaa= Asn (4), Asp (5), Ala (6)], using the popular DFT functionals, B3LYP and B3LYP-D3. A solvation model density (SMD) was used to mimic the solvation effect on the conformational behaviors of azapep-tides in water. During the calculation, we considered the impact of the amide bond in the azapeptide mod-els on the conformational preferences of models 4-6. We analyzed the effect of the hydrogen bond be-tween the side-chain main chain and main-chain main-chain on the conformational behaviors of azapep-tides 4-6. We found that the predicted lowest energy conformation for the three models differs depending on the calculation methods. In the gas phase, B3LYP functional indicates that the conformers tttANP-1 and tttADP-1 of azapeptides 4 and 5 correspond to the type I of -turn, the lowest energy conformation with all-trans amide bonds, respectively. Considering the dispersion correction, B3LYP-D3 functional predicts the conformers tctANP-2 and tctADP-3 of azapeptide 4 and 5, which contain the cis amide bond preceding the Pro residue, as the lowest energy conformation in the gas phase. The results imply that azaAsx and Pro residues may involve cis-trans isomerization in the gas phase. In water, the predict-ed lowest energy conformer of azapeptides 4 and 5 differs from the gas phase results and depends on the calculational method. For azapeptide 6, regardless of calculation methods and phases, tttAAP-1 (-I turn) is predicted as the lowest energy conformer. The results imply that the effect of the side chain that can form hydrogen bonds on the conformational preferences of azapeptides 4 and 5 may not be negligible. We compared the theoretical results of azaXaa-Pro models with those of Pro-azaXaa models, showing that in-corporating azaamino acid residue in peptides at different positions can significantly impact the folding patterns and stability of azapeptides.

Klebsiella pneumonia (K. pneumoniae) is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes nosocomial infections in the lung, bloodstream, and urinary tract. Therefore, detecting K. pneumoniae in early time is important in preventing severe infections. However, clinical detection of K. pneumoniae requires a long time of agar plate culture. Nucleic acid detection like qPCR is precise but requires expensive equipment. Recent research reveals that collateral cleavage activity of CRISPR-LbCas12a has been applied in nucleic acid detection. In this study, PCR combined with CRISPR-LbCas12a targeting the K. pneumoniae system was established. This system showed excellent detection specificity and sensitivity in both bench work and clinical samples. Due to its advantages, its application can meet different detection requirements in health centers where qPCR is not accessible.

Recently, light traps using light-emitting diode (LED) lights have been applied to monitor or control insect pests. The oriental armyworm, Mythimna separata Walker, is an important insect pest that has caused damage to several cereal crops, including corn, wheat and rice. The present study aims to seek out a sensitive wavelength causing high phototactic response in M. separata. The study evaluated the phototactic responses of M. separata moths to several LED lights of different wavelengths and luminance intensities under laboratory condition. Results showed that green (520 nm) LED light resulted in significant phototactic response of M. separata moths compared to LED lights of other wavelengths. Additionally, the highest attraction rate of the moths to green LED light appeared in luminance intensity group of 200 lux compared to the other intensities groups. Experiments under optimum conditions based on the above experiments revealed that the green LED light exhibited the strongest attraction rate (64.44%) among all experimental groups. An experiment performed in a net cage also showed that green LED light resulted in the highest phototactic response of M. separata moths, 1.7 times more than a commercial black light used as control. These findings clearly demonstrate that M. separata moths have a high sensitivity to the green LED light. Therefore, a light trap equipped with green LED light could be useful for monitoring and controlling M. separata moths.

Zinc is mostly extracted from zinc oxide and sulfide minerals, and this process involves flotation as a key step. While it is easier to float the sulfide mineral, its consumption and depletion has led to an increased reliance on zinc oxide minerals, including smithsonite; hence the development of efficient ways of collecting smithsonite by flotation is an important objective. Herein, we describe the use of 2-(hexadecanoylamino)acetic acid (HAA), a novel surfactant, as a collector during smithsonite flotation. The mechanism and flotation performance of HAA during smithsonite flotation were investigated by total organic carbon (TOC) content studies, zeta potential measurements, FTIR spectroscopy, and XPS analyses, combined with micro-flotation experiments. The flotation results revealed that HAA is an excellent collector in pulp over a wide pH range (9–12) and at a relatively low concentration (2 × 10^‒4 mol/L), at which a recovery of close to 90% of the smithsonite mineral was obtained. TOC-content studies reveal that the good flotation recovery is ascribable to large amounts of collector molecule adsorbed on the smithsonite surface, while zeta potential measurements show that the HAA is chemically adsorbed onto the smithsonite. FTIR and XPS analyses reveal that the HAA-collector molecules adsorb onto the smithsonite surface as zinc-HAA complexes involving carboxylate moieties and Zn sites on the smithsonite surface in alkaline solution.

The object of this study was to discover an alternative therapeutic agent with fewer side effects against acne vulgaris, which is one of the most common skin diseases. Acne vulgaris often associates with acne-related bacteria such as <i>Propionibacterium acnes</i>, <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i>, <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>, some of which exhibit a resistant against commercial antibiotics used in the treatment of acne vulgaris (tetracycline, erythromycin, and lincomycin). In the current study, we evaluated <i>in vitro</i> antibacterial activity of chitosan-phytochemical conjugates against acne-related bacteria. Three of chitosan-phytochemical conjugates used in this study showed stronger antibacterial activity than that of chitosan (unmodified control). Chitosan-caffeic acid conjugate (CCA) exhibited the highest antibacterial activity against acne-related bacteria with minimum inhibitory concentration values of 8 μg/mL to 256 μg/mL. In addition, the MICs of antibiotics against antibiotic resistant <i>P. acnes</i> and <i>P. aeruginosa</i> strains were dramatically reduced in the combination with CCA, suggesting that CCA would restore the antibacterial activity of the antibiotics. The analysis of fractional inhibitory concentration indices clearly revealed a synergistic antibacterial effect between CCA and the antibiotics. Thus, the median ∑FIC values against the antibiotic resistant bacterial strains were ranged from 0.375 to 0.533 in the combination mode of CCA and antibiotics.

This study investigates the effects of Zinc (4wt.%) and severe plastic deformation on the mechanical properties of AZ61 magnesium alloy through the stir-casting process. The severe plastic deformation (equal channel angular pressing (ECAP)) has been done followed by T4 heat treatment. The microstructural examinations revealed that the addition of 4wt.%Zn enhances the uniform distribution of β-phase, contributing to a more uniformly corroded surface in corrosive environments. Additionally, dynamic recrystallization (DRX) significantly reduces the grain size of as-cast alloys after undergoing ECAP. The attained mechanical properties demonstrate that after a single ECAP pass, AZ61 + 4wt.%Zn alloy exhibits optimal yield strength (YS), ultimate compression strength (UCS), and hardness. This research highlights the promising potential of AZ61 + 4wt.%Zn alloy for enhanced mechanical and corrosion-resistant properties, offering valuable insights for applications in diverse engineering fields.

The gel prepared by Nemipterus virgatus (N. virgatus) surimi alone still has some defects in texture and taste. Complexing with polysaccharides is an efficient strategy to enhance the gel properties. The main objective of the study was to analyze the relationship between the gel quality and molecular interaction of N. virgatus surimi gel after complexing with tapioca starch. The results make clear that the gel strength, hardness, and chewiness of surimi gel were increased by molecular interaction with tapioca starch. At the appropriate addition amount (12%, w/w), the surimi gel had excellent gel strength (17.48 N), water holding capacity (WHC) (89.01%), lower cooking loss rate (CLR) (0.95%), and shorted T2 relaxation time. Microstructure analysis indicated that the addition of tapioca starch made the surimi gel evenly distributed in the gel network structure, resulting in a significant reduction in cavities diameter, and the minimum diameter could be reduced to 20.33 μm. In addition, tapioca starch enhanced the hydrogen bond and hydrophobic interaction in the gel system and promoted the transformation of α-helix to β-sheet (P&lt;0.05). Correlation analysis showed that the increased physicochemical properties of surimi gel was closely related to the enhanced non-covalent interactions. In conclusion, the non-covalent complexation with tapioca starch is an efficient strategy to enhance the gel quality of surimi gel.

Declining agricultural productivity caused by soil salinization are becoming global dilemmas in recent years. Biofertilizers show great potential as a sustainable and environmentally friendly fertilization strategy for soil improvement, but their effectiveness for saline soil amendment and improving plant growth under saline stress is not well understood. Assess the effectiveness of biofertilizers in improving saline soils and enhancing crop growth under saline stress, as well as investigate its related potential mechanisms. Changes in soil physico-chemical properties, plant physiological parameters and soil microbial communities were analyzed through pot experiments. The results showed that the application of biofertilizer reduced total soluble salts (TSS) in soil by 30.8% and increased the Brassica rapa L. biomass by 8.4 times. Biofertilizer application increased soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN) and available phosphorus (AP). Biofertilizer applications also increased the SOD, CAT, chl.a, chl.b, total soluble sugars, and Proline content. Biofertilizers present plant growth promotion and potential pathogenic fungi reduction by increasing the abundance of Bacillus and Planococcus and decreasing the abundance of Mortierella and Aspergillus. Overall, the results of this study demonstrated the excellent efficacy of biofertilizers in improving saline soils, and the application of biofertilizer strategies will greatly promote agricultural production.

Iris laevigata Fisch. is a perennial aquatic plant with strong cold resistance and showy flowers. However, the flowering period of a single flower is only two days, greatly limiting its potential use in landscaping and the cutting-flower industry. In addition, I. laevigata is often challenged with various abiotic stresses including high salinity and drought in its native habitat. Thus, breeding novel cultivars with prolonged flowering time and higher resistance to abiotic stress is of high importance. In this study, we first performed genome-wide identification of WRKYs, key transcription factors in modulating flowering time and abiotic stress responses. We overexpressed IlWRKY22 in Arabidopsis thaliana and found the flowering time was delayed in the transgenic plants. Molecular characterization further revealed that IlWRKY22 promotes the expression of CO and GA20OX genes in the photoperiod and gibberellin pathways, respectively, and inhibits the expression of SPL3 in the aging pathway. We also created transgenic Nicotiana tabacum overexpressing IlWRKY22, which showed significantly improved resistance to both salt and drought compared to control plants. Specifically, the photosynthetic rate, maximum potential quantum efficiency of Photosystem II (Fv/Fm), and chlorophyll content were higher in the transgenic plants, which was accompanied with higher antioxidant enzyme activity and lower levels of reactive oxygen species. Thus, our study revealed a unique dual function of IlWRKY22, an excellent candidate gene for breeding novel I. laevigata cultivars of desirable traits.

Based on the plate tectonic theory, using seismic, geology, and public literature data, the proto-type basins and lithofacies paleogeography during the main geological periods of the passive continental margin of East Africa are restored, and the architecture characteristics of the basins and the differences in sedimentary fillings are analyzed. Combined with the dissection of discovered oil and gas reservoirs, four types of hydrocarbon accumulation models are established, the favorable hydrocarbon accumulation combinations (plays), and the next exploration directions in this region are explored. The passive continental margin basins in East Africa experienced three proto-type stages: intracontinental aborted rift during the Late Carboniferous-Triassic Karoo period, intracontinental-intercontinental rift during the Jurassic period, and passive continental margin basin since the Cretaceous period. Affected by the difference in sedimentary filling thickness between the rift period and depression period, four types of passive continental margin basins are formed: rifted type, depressed type, faulted depression type, and reformed delta type. The maximum sedimentary thickness of the rifted basins during the rift period is greater than 3500 m, and that during the depression period is less than 4000 m, forming a "single-source structure type" hydrocarbon accumulation model. The exploration of rifted basins should focus on giant structural traps at the top of the rifted sequences. The maximum sedimentary thickness of the depressed basins during the depression period exceeds 4000 m, forming a "single-source fan group type" hydrocarbon accumulation model. The dominant exploration directions of depressed basins are sedimentary sand bodies and structural-lithologic traps during the depression and drift periods. The maximum sedimentary thickness of the faulted depression basins during the rift period is greater than 3500 m, and that during the depression period is greater than 4000 m, forming a "double-source and double-combination type" hydrocarbon accumulation model. The exploration of rifted basins should focus on giant slip-collapse-debris flow sedimentary sand bodies on the upper and middle slopes. In addition to the large sedimentary thickness of the early rift and the central depression, the delta thickness of the reformed delta basins during the late depression period since the Miocene is more than 4000 m, and four structural belts (growth fault, mud diapir, thrust fold, and foredeep gentle slope) were formed from onshore to offshore, forming a "three-source and multi-combination type" hydrocarbon accumulation model. All four structural belts can form giant oil and gas fields.

The oil spilled from the Gulf war caused land pollution and various petroleum compounds. Among petroleum compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are known for toxicity, and have been designated as carcinogenic, mutagenic, and endocrine disrupting substances by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). According to the USEPA, toxic equivalents quotient (TEQ), and mutagenic equivalents quotient (MEQ) can be calculated by multiplying the toxic equivalency factor (TEF) and mutagenic equivalency factor (MEF) by the concentration of PAHs. The USEPA calculates the relative TEF for other PAHs by setting the TEF value of benzo(a)pyrene, which is highly toxic, to 1. Relative MEF is also calculated in the same way. In this study, the TPH concentrations of crude oil-contaminated soils collected from the Burgan in Kuwait were measured to be 5, 8, and 20% and TEQ and MEQ of the soils were calculated by multiplying the 16 PAHs concentrations measured for each sample by TEF and MEF, respectively. When the TPH concentration was increased by 4 times from 5% to 20%, the TEQ was increased by about 9 times and the MEQ was increased by about 10 times. Therefore, it was concluded that as the TPH concentration increases, the carcinogenicity and mutation rate increase greatly. In addition, ecotoxicity assessment was performed using luminescent bacteria to compare the relationship between the calculated TEQ and MEQ and actual ecotoxicity, and benzo(a)pyrene among 16 PAHs showed a coefficient of determination of 0.95. In this study, ecotoxicity in PAHs-contaminated environment can be estimated by analyzing benzo(a)pyrene as a representative substance.

The Oriental ratsnake Ptyas mucosa is a common non-venomous snake of the colubrid family, with a wide geographic range spanning much of South and Southeast Asia. P. mucosa is widely cultivated dut to it used in traditional medicine, scientific research, and handicrafts. Therefore, genome resources could play an important role in the efficacy of traditional medicine and the analysis of the living environment of the species. We collected a snake sample in Hezhou, Guangxi, China, which was identified as P. mucosa by morphological identification. Here we present a highly continuous P. mucosa genome with a genome size of 1.74Gb. The scaffold N50 length is 9.57Mb and the maximal length of scaffold is 78.3Mb, the P. mucosa genome has a CG content of 37.9% and the integrity of the gene reached 86.6%.Assembled using long-reads, the total length of the repeat sequence in the genome reached 735 Mb, and its repeat content was as high as 42.19%. A total of 24,869 functional genes were annotated. This study will assist in the understanding of the P. mucosa, and also provide a basis for medicinal research.

Vitamin E, a potent antioxidant, is a necessary and complex micronutrient for cows. During the transition period, vitamin E deficiency (VED) is among the highest prevalent micronutrient deficits in dairy cows. It may eventually result in oxidative stress and immunological malfunction, and it increases the risk of peripartum disorders. At present, detailed data on blood metabolites in VED cows are limited. Consequently, the purpose of this research was to examine the alterations in the serum metabolic profile of VED cows throughout the early postpartum period. Using comprehensive 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), the alterations in serum metabolic activities of VED cows were analyzed. In total, 28 multiparous Holstein cows were assigned according to serum α-tocopherol (α-Toc) concentrations into a normal (α-Toc ≥ 4 μg/mL, n = 14) and VED (α-Toc &lt; 3 μg/mL, n = 14) groups at 21 days postpartum, and their blood samples were collected for biochemical and 1H NMR analyses. A t-test on independent samples as well as multivariate statistics were used to assess the findings. In comparison with normal cows, VED cows showed significantly worse body condition scores, milk yield, and dry matter intake (p &lt; 0.05). Significantly higher levels of serum non-esterified fatty acids, aspartate aminotransferase, low-density lipoprotein, and malonaldehyde were found in VED-affected cows, as well as lesser concentrations of serum albumin, high-density lipoprotein, and total antioxidant capacity in comparison with normal cows (p &lt; 0.01), while other vitamins and minerals concentrations showed no distinction between the groups (p &gt; 0.05). Furthermore, 24 upregulated serum metabolites were identified under VED conditions. The metabolomics pathway analysis of these metabolites demonstrated that a global metabolic response to VED in cows was represented by changes in 11 metabolic pathways, comprising energy, carbohydrate, and amino acid metabolism. These outcomes suggest that VED cows were more likely to experience a negative energy balance characterized by alterations of common systemic metabolic processes and develop oxidative stress, inflammation, and ultimately liver injury. This study provides the first evidence of metabolic changes in cows with VED.

Video behavior recognition often needs to focus on object motion processes. In this work, a self-organizing computational system oriented to behavioral clustering recognition is proposed, which achieves the extraction of motion change patterns by binary encoding and completes motion pattern summarization using a similarity comparison algorithm. And in the face of unknown behavioral video data, a self-organizing structure with layer-by-layer accuracy progression is used to achieve motion law summarization by using a multi-layer agent design approach. Finally, the real-time feasibility is verified in the prototype system using real scenes to provide a new feasible solution for unsupervised behavior recognition and space-time scenes.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) ethanol fermentation has left an indelible trace in human history. It is regarded as the original beverage synthesis, and has developed into an essential energy supply for mankind today. However, the history of ethanol synthesis using S. cerevisiae, including the mechanism analysis process, has not been carefully and succinctly reported. In this paper, we review the history of ethanol synthesis using S. cerevisiae. In addition, we also review the substrates that drive S. cerevisiae ethanol synthesis, including the utilization of glucose, sucrose, starch and molasses, in order to summarize the current development status and to contribute to the further improvement of this field.

Patients with cancer experience insomnia or sleep disturbances. This study aimed to explore whether the discrepancy between a patient's desired time in bed and total sleep time (DBST) index is a measurement tool for insomnia severity or sleep onset latency [SOL] in patients with cancer. This retrospective medical records review study gathered clinical information and rating scale scores including Insomnia Severity Scale (ISI), Cancer-related Dysfunctional Beliefs about Sleep scale (C-DBS), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items (PHQ-9), State subcategory of State and Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Short form of Fear of Progression Questionnaire. Sleep indices of time variables (bedtime, sleep onset time, and wake-up time), duration variables [SOL, time in bed (TIB), time in bed for 24 hours (TIB/d), and duration from wake-up time to bedtime (WTB)], and the DBST index were calculated. The ISI score was predicted by PHQ-9 (β=0.34, P&lt;0.001), C-DBS (β=0.17, P=0.034), and DBST index (β=0.22, P=0.004) with a significant correlation with the DBST index (r=0.19, p=0.020). The DBST index was significantly correlated with long SOL (r=0.23, P=0.005). Long SOL was predicted by early bedtime (β=0.18, P=0.045), short WTB (β=-0.26, P=0.004), and high DBST index (β=0.19, P=0.013). The DBST index was significantly correlated with a predicting variable each for insomnia severity and SOL in patients with cancer.

The COVID-19 pandemic has now become very severe as never before due to the overwhelming spread of Omicron. We found that Omicron outbreak can be effectively prevented by inactivated vaccines, which averted an outbreak of more than 1.6 million people in Hangzhou, China. The 36 mutations in the target spike protein of Omicron neutralizing antibody enable it to evade the immune protection afforded by vaccines. This is because that mRNA and adenovirus-vector vaccines are designed to recognize the spike (S) glycoprotein of the SARS-CoV-2 wild-type (WT) strain. However, Inactivated vaccines contain the whole viral antigens and remain stable in their recognition of newly emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2. Our study confirmed the advantage of inactivated vaccines in the face of highly mutated Omicron variant and provided a basis for the development of effective vaccines to prevent future long-term transmission, mutation and recurrence of SARS-CoV-2.

Bees (Apoidea), the largest and most crucial radiation of pollinators, play a vital role in ecosystem balance. Transposons are widely distributed in nature and are important drivers of species diversity. However, transposons are rarely reported in important pollinators such as bees. Here, we surveyed 37 genomes in Apoidea, annotated the pogo and Tc1/mariner transposons in the genome of each species and performed a phylogenetic analysis to determine their overall distribution. The pogo and Tc1/mariner families showed high diversity and low abundance in the 37 species, and their proportion was significantly higher in solitary bees than in social bees. DD34D/mariner was found to be distributed in almost all species and was found in Apis mellifera, Apis mellifera carnica, Apis mellifera caucasica and Apis mellifera mellifera and Euglossa dilemma may still be active. Using horizontal transfer analysis, we found that DD30D/Tigger, DD33D/Tigger and DD34D/mariner may have experienced horizontal transfer events. The current study displayed the evolution profiles (including diversity, activity, and abundance) of the pogo and Tc1/mariner transposons across 37 species of Apoidea. Our data revealed their contributions to the genomic variations across these species and facilitated in understanding of the genome evolution of this lineage.

The morbidity and mortality caused by invasive fungal infections is increasing across the globe due to developments in transplant surgery, the use of immunosuppressive agents, and the emergence of drug-resistant fungal strains, which has led to a challenge in terms of treatment due to the limitations of three classes of drugs. Hence, it is imperative to establish effective strategies to identify and design new antifungal drugs. Drug repurposing is an effective way of expanding the application of existing drugs. In the last years, various existing drugs have been shown to be useful in the prevention and treatment of the invasive fungi. In this review, we summarize the currently used antifungal agents. In addition, the most up to date information on the effectiveness of existing drugs with antifungal activity is discussed. Moreover, the antifungal mechanisms of existing drugs are highlighted. These data will provide valuable knowledge to stimulate further investigation and clinical application in this field.

The chemopreventive effects of various mixed cereal grain (MCG) samples on azoxymethane (AOM, 10 mg/kg) and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS, 2% w/v)-induced colorectal cancer (CRC) in C57BL/6J mice were studied. The main MCG preparation consisted of fermented brown rice (FBR), glutinous brown rice, glutinous Sorghum bicolor, glutinous Panicum miliaceum, Coix lacryma-jobi and black soybean at an appropriate mixing ratio. Other MCG preparations contained rice coated with 5% Phellinus linteus and 5% Curcuma longa (MGR-PC), or 10% Phellinus linteus (MCG-P), or 10% Curcuma longa (MCG-C). Consumption of dietary MCG-PC by CRC mice significantly increased colon length, decreased the ratio of colon weight to length, and reduced the number of colon tumors. Similar effects, although to a lower extent, were observed in CRC mice fed with MCG-P, followed by those fed with MCG-C, MCG, FBR or white rice (WR). MCG-PC significantly suppressed colonic neoplasia, and decreased the levels of various cytokines (tumor necrosis factor: Tnf, interleukin 1 beta: Il1b, interleukin 6: Il6, and interferon gamma: Ifng) in serum and colon tissue of the CRC mice. In addition, MCG-PC increased the mRNA expressions of tumor protein p53(Tp53) and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A(Cdkn1a), activated pro-apoptotic caspase 3(Casp3), and reduced expression of both mRNA and protein of inducible inducible nitric oxide synthase 2 (Nos2), prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (Ptgs2), and cyclin D1(Ccnd1) in colon tissue. These findings suggest that than compared with other cereal grain preparations, MCG-PC had a greater activity against AOM/DSS-induced CRC by reducing intestinal inflammation, and modulating the expression of certain carcinogenesis related factors (Nos2, Ptgs2, Tp53, Cdkn1a, Ccnd1 and Casp3) in colon tissue of CRC mice.

We report the development of an extrinsic self-healing coating system that shows no fluorescence from the intact coating, yellowish fluorescence in cracked regions, and greenish fluorescence in healed regions, thus allowing the separate monitoring of cracking and healing of coatings. This fluorescence monitoring self-healing system consisted of a top coating, an epoxy matrix resin containing mixed dye-loaded in single microcapsule. The dye-loaded microcapsules consisted of a poly(urea-formaldehyde) shell encapsulating a healing agent containing MAT-PDMS and styrene, a photo-initiator and a mixture of two dyes, one that fluoresces only in the solid state (DCM) and a second that fluoresces dramatically increased in the solid than solution state (4-TPAE). A mixture of the healing agent, photo-initiator and the two dyes was yellow due to fluorescence from DCM. On UV curing of this mixture, however, the color changed from yellow to green and the fluorescence intensity increased due to fluorescence from 4-TPAE in the solid state. When a self-healing coating embedded with microcapsules containing the DCM/4-TPAE dye mixture was scratched, the damaged region exhibited a yellowish color that changed to green after healing. Thus, the self-healing system reported here allows the separate monitoring of cracking and healing based on changes in fluorescence color.

Japanese encephalitis is a zoonotic disease caused by Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). It is mainly epidemic in Asia with an estimated 69,000 cases occurring per year. However, no approved agents are available for the treatment of JEV infection, and existing vaccines cannot resist various types of JEV strains. Drug repurposing is a new concept for finding new indication of existing drugs, and recently, it has been used to discover new antiviral agents. Identifying host proteins involved in the progress of JEV infection and using these proteins as targets are the center of drug repurposing for JEV infection. In this study, based on the gene expression data of JEV infection and the phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) data, we identified 286 genes participating in the progress of JEV infection using the systems biology methods. The enrichment analysis of these genes suggested that the genes identified by our methods were predominantly related to viral infection pathways and immune response-related pathways. We found that bortezomib which can target these genes may have potential effect on the treatment of JEV infection. Subsequently, we evaluated the antiviral activity of bortezomib using the JEV-infected mice model. The results showed that bortezomib can lower JEV-induced lethality in mice, alleviate suffering in JEV-infected mice and reduce the damage in brains caused by JEV infection. This work provides a new method for the development of antiviral agents.

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is considered the initial treatment for lung cancer patients with small-sized and limited number of brain metastases. The objective of this study was to assess clinical outcomes of SRS treatment using CyberKnife (CK) for recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) class II/III patients with one to three brain metastases from lung cancer and identify which patients in the high RPA class could benefit from SRS. A total of 48 lung cancer patients who received CK-based SRS for their metastatic brain lesions from 2010 to 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Radiographic response was evaluated during follow-up period. Overall survival (OS) and intracranial progression-free survival (IPFS) were calculated and prognostic variables associated with OS and IPFS were evaluated. Median follow-up time was 6.6 months. Local control rates at 6 months and 1-year following SRS were 98% and 92%, respectively. The median OS of all patients was 8 months. One-year and 2-year OS rates were 40.8% and 20.9%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, uncontrolled primary disease (p = 0.008) and ECOG performance status of 2 or 3 (p = 0.001) were independent prognostic factors for inferior OS. These two factors were also significantly associated with inferior IPFS. In subgroup analysis according to RPA class, primary disease status was the only prognostic factor, showing statistically significant OS differences in both RPA class II and III (controlled vs. uncontrolled: 41.1 vs. 12.3 months in RPA class II, p = 0.031; 26.9 vs. 4.1 months in RPA class III, p = 0.011). Our results indicated that SRS could be an effective treatment option for RPA class II/III patients with brain metastases from lung cancer in the modern treatment era. SRS might be particularly considered for patients with controlled primary disease.

When extract building from high resolution remote sensing image with meter/sub-meter accuracy, the shade of trees and interference of roads are the main factors of reducing the extraction accuracy. Proposed a Bayesian Convolutional Neural Networks(BCNET) model base on standard fully convolutional networks(FCN) to solve these problems. First take building with no shade or artificial removal of shade as Sample-A, woodland as Sample-B, road as Sample-C. Set up 3 sample libraries. Learn these sample libraries respectively, get their own set of feature vector; Mixture Gauss model these feature vector set, evaluate the conditional probability density function of mixture of noise object and roofs; Improve the standard FCN from the 2 aspect:(1) Introduce atrous convolution. (2) Take conditional probability density function as the activation function of the last convolution. Carry out experiment using unmanned aerial vehicle(UVA) image, the results show that BCNET model can effectively eliminate the influence of trees and roads, the building extraction accuracy can reach 97%.

Osteoporosis, often linked to increased osteoclast activity due to menopause or aging, was the focus. In this study, the inhibitory effects of Salicornia europaea L. (SE) water extract of desalted SE (WSE) were investigated on osteoclast differentiation and bone loss in ovariectomized mice. The findings revealed that WSE effectively inhibited RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation, as evidenced by TRAP staining, and also suppressed bone resorption and F-actin ring formation in a dose-dependent manner. Gene expressions related to osteoclast differentiation, including NFATc1, TRAP, cathepsin K, and DC-STAMP, were downregulated by WSE. Oral administration of WSE improved bone density and structural parameters in ovariectomized mice. Dicaffeoyl quinic acids (DCQAs) and saponins in WSE were detected, with 3,4-, 3,5-, and 4,5-DCQA isolated and identified. All tested DCQAs, including the aforementioned types, inhibited osteoclast differentiation, bone resorption, and the expression of osteoclast-related genes. Furthermore, WSE and DCQAs reduced ROS production mediated by RANKL. These results indicate the potential of WSE and its components, DCQA, as preventive or therapeutic agents against osteoporosis and related conditions.

Biofilm-associated bacterial infections are the major reason for treatment failure in many diseases including burn trauma infections. Uncontrolled inflammation induced by bacteria leads to materiality, tissue damage and chronic diseases. Specialized proresolving mediators (SPMs), including maresin-like lipid mediators (MarLs), are enzymatically biosynthesized from omega-3 essential long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) by macrophages and other leukocytes. SPMs exhibit strong inflammation-resolving activities, especially inflammation provoked by bacterial infection. In this study, we explored the potential direct inhibitory activities of three MarLs on gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) bacteria in their biofilms that are leading bacteria in burn trauma related infections. We also examined the effects of MarLs on the bactericidal activities of a typical broad-spectrum antibiotics carbenicillin on these bacteria in their preformed biofilms. The results revealed that MarLs combined with carbenicillin can inhibit the survival of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria in their biofilms although MarLs alone did not exhibit bactericidal activity. Thus, our findings suggest that the combination of MarLs and carbenicillin can lower the antibiotic requirements to kill the bacteria in preformed biofilms.

Static voltage stability has become one of the significant risks faced by large-scale renewable energy integration. However, traditional methods for static voltage stability analysis are often overly complex. This paper constructs an equivalent impedance model for renewable energy integrated distribution power systems, proposing a static voltage analysis method for renewable energy integrated distribution power systems based on impedance model index. This method has been verified to be applicable not only to renewable energy single-infeed system but also to multi-infeed system. Furthermore, an analysis is conducted on the influence of the integration capacity, location of renewable energy, and the topology of networks on impedance model index, indicating that a higher impedance model index corresponds to greater static voltage stability margins in the system. Hence, during the planning of renewable energy integration, the plan with the highest impedance model index should be selected. Finally, the accuracy of the analysis methods and conclusions in this paper was validated based on the IEEE 14-node system.

Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua. is an important medicinal and edible food in China and the traditional processing method of nine-steaming and nine-drying has been used to process its rhizome. However, the global dynamic changes in secondary metabolites during the processing and whether this method could enhance the accumulation of functional components remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the processing-induced mechanisms involved in the accumulation of secondary metabolites and provide theoretical support for the pharmacological study on P. cyrtonema. Results showed the first 6 processing cycles induced drastic changes in the accumulation of secondary metabolites, while the last 3 did not induce further changes. The accumulation of most secondary metabolites significantly increased after the first 3 cycles and stabilized after 6 cycles. The first 3 cycles led to numerous newly added metabolites while the last 6–9 cycles led to a small number of disappeared metabolites. Processing enhanced the biosynthesis of various secondary metabolites and significantly affected the metabolisms of amino acids. Together, a short period of processing was helpful for enhancing the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. However, the enhancing effects will be reversed or weakened under continuous processing. The processing cycles should be reduced to 3–6 to maintain the enhancing effects.

Red color conversion materials have often been used in conventional white LEDs (light-emitting diodes) to enhance the insufficient deep red component and thus improve the color rendering property. Quantum dots (QDs) are one of the candidates due to their flexibility in controlling the emission wavelength, which is attributed to the quantum confinement effect. Two types of remote QD components, i.e., QD films and QD caps, were prepared and applied to conventional white LED illumination to improve the color rendering properties. Thanks to the red component near 630 nm caused by the QD components, the color rendering indices(CRIs) of both Ra and R9 could be increased to over 95. It was found that both the diffusing nature of the reflector and the light recycling process in the vertical cavity between the bottom reflector and the top optical films play important roles in improving the color conversion efficiency of remote QD components. The present study showed that the proper application of remote QDs combined with a suitable optical cavity can control the correlated color temperature of the illumination over a wide range, thus realizing different color appearances of white LED illumination. In addition, a high CRI of over 95 could be achieved due to sufficient excitation from fewer QDs due to the strong optical cavity effect.

The papaya mealybug Paracoccus marginatus is an invasive, polyphagous pest and poses a quarantine threat to tropical and subtropical countries. Infested commodity internationally should be undergoing phytosanitary treatment, while irradiation is recommended to replace methyl bromide fumigation. Dose-response tests were conducted on the 2-, 4-, and 6-d-old eggs and gravid females of P. marginatus using the X-ray radiation doses of 15–105 Gy with an interval of 15 Gy, respectively. Radiotolerance was compared using fiducial overlapping and lethal dose ratio (LDR) test, resulting in insignificant difference except for LDR test at LD90 (leading 90% mortality at 95% confidence level (CL)); the estimated dose for 99.9968% mortality at 95% CL was 176.5–185.2 Gy, which was validated in the confirmatory tests using gamma irradiation because gammy and X-rays have equal biological effect on pests. Therefore, a total of estimating 60,386 gravid females of papaya mealybug irradiated with 146.8–185.0 Gy resulted in no F1 nymphs developing. Eggs can therefore be used as an alternative to gravid females for dose-response tests; the recommended minimum dose for phytosanitary treatment of P. marginatus on infested commodity is 185 Gy, with treatment efficacy ≥ 99.9950% at 95% CL.

Nonconventional luminescent materials (NLMs) that do not contain traditional aromatic chromophores are of great interest due to their unique chemical structures, optical properties and their potential applications in various areas such as cellular imaging and chemical sensing. However, most reported NLMs show weak or no emission in dilute solutions, severely limiting their applications. In this work, the dynamic hydrogen bonds were utilized to design NLMs with efficient emission in dilute solutions. To further validate the results, polymers P1 and P2 were successfully prepared and investigated. It was found that luminescence quantum efficiency of P1 and P2 at concentration of 0.1 mg/mL in water solution is 8.9 and 0.6%, respectively. The high efficiency can be attributed to the fact that polymer P1 has more intra- or intermolecular dynamic hydrogen bonds and other short interactions than P2 in dilute solutions, allowing P1 to achieve the through-space conjugation effect to increase the degree of system conjugation, restrict molecular motion, and decrease non-radiative transitions, which can effectively improve luminescence. In addition, polymer P2 exhibits the characteristics of clustering-triggered emission, excitation wavelength-dependent and concentration-dependent fluorescence properties, excellent photobleaching resistance, low cytotoxicity and selective recognition of Fe3+. This work is a preliminary study of the luminescence properties of NLMs in dilute solutions via modulating dynamic hydrogen bonds, which can be used as a semi-empirical method to design and construct novel NLMs in future.

Nitrogen (N) is a major limiting factor for plant growth and vegetable production. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms of N uptake, transport, and assimilation is key to improving nitrogen use efficiency in plants. Ammonium transporters (AMTs) play an important role in plant N metabolism. In this study, we isolated an important AMT1 subfamily member (BcAMT1;5) with a highly conserved signatural AMT1 subfamily motif from flowering Chinese cabbage. Based on functional complementation in yeast mutant 31019b and overexpression of BcAMT1;5 in Arabidopsis, BcAMT1;5 is a functional ammonium transporter. Tissue expression analysis showed that BcAMT1;5 was mainly expressed in roots and showed multiple N regime transcript patterns to respond to varying nutritional conditions. This was up-regulated by N-deficiency and down-regulated by supplying NH4+. The glucuronidase (GUS) activities of BcAMT1;5pro::GUS showed a similar change in response to different N conditions. Overexpression of BcAMT1;5 accelerated the growth of transgenic seedlings, increased NH4+ net influxes, and enhanced the content and accumulation of NH4+ and NO3- at low N concentrations. Additionally, it increased the transcript levels of N assimilation-related genes in shoots. These results indicate that the transcriptional regulation of BcAMT1;5 in flowering Chinese cabbage may participate in N uptake and assimilation under various N conditions.

A convenient and fast multiresidue method for the efficient identification and quantification of 72 pesticides belonging to different chemical classes in red and white grape wines have been developed. The analysis was based on gas chromatography tandem quadrupole mass spectrometric determination (GC–MS/MS). An optimization strategy involved the selection of MWCNTs amount and cleanup procedure cycle times for m-PFC was performed to achieve ideal recoveries and reduce sample matrix compounds in the final extracts. The optimized procedure obtained consistent recoveries between 70.2 and 108.8% (70.2% and 108.8% for white wine, 72.3% and 106.0% for red wine) , with relative standard deviations (RSDs) generally lower than 8.3% at three spiking levels of 0.01, 0.05 and 0.2 mg/kg. Linearity was studied in the range between 0.005 and 0.2 mg/kg using pesticide standards prepared both in pure solvent and in the presence of matrix, showing coefficients of determination (R²) higher than 0.985 for all the pesticides. To improve accuracy, matrix matched calibration curves were used for calculating the quantification results. Finally, the method was used successfully in detecting pesticide residues in commercial gape wines.

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.

Tenascin C (TNC) is an element of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of various tissues, including the skin, and is involved in modulating ECM integrity and cell physiology. Although skin aging is apparently associated with changes in the ECM, little is known about the role of TNC in skin aging. Here we found that Tnc mRNA level was significantly reduced in the skin tissues of aged mice compared with young mice, consistent with reduced TNC protein expression in aged human skin. TNC-large (TNC-L; 330-kDa) and -small (TNC-S; 240-kDa) polypeptides were observed in conditional media from primary dermal fibroblasts. Both recombinant TNC polypeptides, corresponding to TNC-L and TNC-S, increased the expression of type I collagen and reduced the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 in fibroblasts. Treatment of fibroblasts with a recombinant TNC polypeptide, corresponding to TNC-L, induced phosphorylation of SMAD2 and SMAD3. TNC increased the level of TGF-β1 mRNA and upregulated the expression of type I collagen by activating the TGF-β signaling pathway. In addition, TNC also promoted the expression of type I collagen in fibroblasts embedded in a three-dimensional collagen matrix. Our findings suggest that TNC contributes to the integrity of ECM in young skin and to prevention of skin aging.

In an age of market liberalization, globalization, and expanding agribusiness, there is a danger that small-scale farmers will find difficulty in fully participating in the market economy. One of the solutions to solve the above situation is to strengthen linkages between farmers and firms through contract farming. The purpose of this study is to assess the factors affecting the level of linkages between businesses and farmers in crop development in Thai Binh province, Vietnam. The two main research methods used were exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and regression analysis with survey data which was conducted from 300 farmers, 10 firms, and 15 factors related to contract-farming. The results indicated that there are 5 factors that significantly affect the level of participation of farmers in the linking process, the order of impacts from strong to weak is as follows: (1) Commitment and sharing of benefits and risks between farmers and firms in the linking process, (2) Issues related to management skills and enterprises capacity of link firms, (3) Price issues that farmers are interested in in the process of implementing links with firms, (4) Policy environment - Institutions related to farmer contracts between firms and farmers, (5) Household awareness about the benefits brought about by farmer contracts with firms. Based on results, a number of specific solutions have been proposed to enhance the efficiency of farming contracts between firms and farmers in cultivation production.

Motivation: UCSC Xena platform provides huge amounts of processed cancer omics data from big public projects like TCGA or individual reserach groups for enabling unprecedented research opportunities. In 2019, we developed UCSCXenaTools, an R package for retrieval of UCSC Xena data. However, an easier dataset exploration and analysis tool is still lack, especially for researchers without programming experience. Results: We develop UCSCXenaShiny, an R Shiny package to quickly explore, download all datasets from UCSC Xena data hubs. In addiction, a module based analysis framework is constructed to analyze and visualize data. Availability: https://github.com/openbiox/UCSCXenaShiny or https://cran.r-project.org/package=UCSCXenaShiny.

As novel materials for carbon capture, phase change solvents can separate into two immiscible phases during the CO2 capturing procedure under a certain temperature. The solvent systems can significantly decrease the energy consumption since the solvents can be regenerated by only heating the rich-CO2 phase. In this work, amino acid ionic liquids (AAILs) were synthesized using quaternary ammonium salts and amino acids as raw materials, and the aqueous solutions were prepared as novel liquid-solid phase change solvents. The results showed that the solvents had excellent CO2 absorption capacity, and the AAILs functionalized by glycine and tryptophan exhibited significant phase change properties. The mechanism of phase-change of the solvent were mainly due to the lower solubility of the product after reaction between AAILs and CO2. The solvent with tryptophan as anion could be regenerated by only heating the CO2-riched solid phase, which might significantly decrease energy consumption of regeneration. And the absorbent could be reused with the regenerated absorption ratio up to 79%. The solvent system has great potential in industrial application due to the easy operation process and efficient recycling ability.

It is very difficult to accurately divide farmland and woodland in Gaofen 2 (GF-2) remote sensing image, because their single plant coverage is very small, and their spectra are very similar. The ratio of spatial resolution and one plant’s coverage area must be fully taken into account when designing the Convolutional Neural Network structure for extracting them from GF-2 image. We establish a Convolutional Encode Neural Networks model (CENN), The first layer has two sets of convolution kernels to learn the characteristics of farmland and woodland respectively, while the second layer is the encoder to encode the characteristics by transfer function, which can map the results to the corresponding category number. In the training stage, samples of farmland, woodland, and other categories are categorically used to train CENN, as soon as training is accomplished, CENN would acquire enough ability to accurately extract farmland and woodland from remote sensing images. The final extraction result is obtained by implementing per-pixel segmentation of images used to train the CENN. CENN is compared and analyzed with others such as Deep Belief Network (DBN), Full Convolutional Network (FCN), Deeplab Model. The results of experiments show that CENN can more accurately mine the characteristics of farmland and woodland, and it achieves its goal of extracting farmland and woodland with high precision from GF-2 images.

Reactions of Co(OAc)24H2O, N‚N'-bis(3-pyridylmethyl)oxalamide (L) and 4,4’-sulfonyldibenzoic acid (H2SDA) afforded four coordination polymers with the same mixed ligands, {[Co(L)(SDA)(H2O)2]·H2O·CH3OH}n, 1, {[Co(L)0.5(SDA)]·2H2O·0.5L}n, 2, {[Co(L)1.5(SDA)(H2O)]·H2O}n, 3, and {[Co2(L)1.5(SDA)2(H2O)2]·4H2O}n, 4, which have been structurally characterized by using single crystal X-ray crystallography. Complexes 1 – 4 are 2D layers, revealing the topologies of sql, 2,6L1, (4,4)Ia and 6L12, respectively, and demonstrating that the metal to ligand ratio, solvent system and reaction temperature are important in determining the structural diversity. Immersion of these complexes into various solvents show that the structural types govern the chemical stabilities of 1 – 4. Reversible structural transformation can be shown for complexes 1 and 2 upon solvent removal and adsorption, while those of 3 and 4 are irreversible.

Expansins (EXPs) which are the essential components of plant cell wall function as relaxation factors to directly promote turgor-driven expansion of cell wall and control plant growth and development and diverse environmental stress responses. A lot of EXPs genes have been widely identified and characterized in numerous plant species, but not in sweetpotato. In the present study, a total of 59 EXPs genes that unevenly distributed onto 14 of 15 chromosomes were identified from sweetpotato genome, and segmental and tandem duplications were exhibited to act as dominant functions in IbEXPs diversity. Phylogenetic analysis exhibited that IbEXPs members were clustered into four subfamilies according to EXPs in Arabidopsis and rice and the regularity of motif, domain and gene structures was in accordance with the subfamily classification. The collinearity analysis between IbEXPs and related homologous sequences in 9 plants provided the phylogenetic insights of EXPs gene family. Cis-element analysis futhrer revealed the potential roles of IbEXPs in sweetpotato development and stress responses. Evidence from RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analysis of eight selected IbEXPs genes displayed their various tissue specificity in different tissues, and their transcripts were varyingly induced or suppressed under multiple hormone treatments (ABA, SA, JA and ACC) and abiotic stresses (low and high temperature). These results supply worthy foundations to further comprehensively investigate the exact functions of IbEXPs genes, and multiple members may function as promising regulators to control plant development and enhance the stress resistance of transgenic plants.

Five new cembrane-type diterpenes, lobocalines A–E (1–5), and four new steroids, lobocalines F–I (9–12), along with six known related compounds (6–8 and 13–15) were isolated from the Yalong Bay soft coral Lobophytum catalai. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis, NMR calculation with DP4+ analysis, time-dependent density functional theory-electronic circular dichroism (TDDFT-ECD) calculations, X-ray diffraction analyses, and the comparison with the reported spectroscopic data of known compounds. Further, with the aid of X-ray diffraction analysis, the structure of lobocrasol B (15) was firmly revised as 15a. In in vitro bioassays, compound 2 showed moderate antibacterial activities against fish pathogenic bacteria Streptococcus parauberis KSP28 and Phoyobacterium damselae FP2244 with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 8.7 and 17.3 µg/mL, respectively. All the steroids exhibited antibacterial activities against the S. parauberis KSP28 with MIC values ranging from 12.3 to 53.6 µg/mL. Compounds 2, 7 and 14 have remarkable inhibitory effects on the hemolysin production of Staphylococcus aureus, while compounds 8–12 have medium inhibitory effects on the pyocyanin production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a representative malignant brain tumor characterized by a dismal prognosis, with survival rates of less than 2 years and high recurrence rates. Despite surgical resection and several alternative treatments, GBM remains a refractory disease due to its aggressive invasiveness and resistance to anticancer therapy. In this report, we explore the role of fibronectin type III domain containing 3B (FNDC3B) and its potential as a prognostic and therapeutic biomarker in GBM. GBM exhibited a significantly higher cancer-to-normal ratio compared to other organs, and patients with high FNDC3B expression had a poor prognosis (p < 0.01). In vitro studies revealed that silencing FNDC3B significantly reduced the expression of Survivin, an apoptosis inhibitor, and also reduced cell migration, invasion, extracellular matrix adhesion ability, and stem cell properties in GBM cells. Furthermore, we identified that FNDC3B regulates PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling in GBM cells using MetaCore integrated pathway bioinformatics analysis and a proteome profiler phospho-kinase array with sequential western blot analysis. Collectively, our findings suggest FNDC3B as a potential biomarker for predicting GBM patient survival and for the development of treatment strategies for GBM.

Soil washing is a rapid and efficient method for heavy metals removal. In this study, in order to prove the feasibility of leaching remediation technology for remediation of lead-contaminated soil around a smelter, intermittent oscillating washing tests and extensive continuous tests were conducted to remediate Pb contaminated soils. Plant growth tests with wheat (Bainong Aikang 58) were also conducted to investigate the effects of leaching on plant growth and the Pb content of stems and leaves. The results revealed that in soils, Pb mainly exists in the forms of PbCO3, Pb5(PO4)3Cl2, PbSO4, and in small amounts of PbS. The intermittent oscillating washing tests showed that a lower liquidsolid(L/S) ratio and a higher leaching temperature and time were related to increased Pb removal efficiency. The Pb removal efficiency rates in the oscillating washing tests and the extensive continuous tests were 72.50% and 69.94%, respectively. In addition, the chemical and physical characteristics of the soil were basically unchanged after the leaching regimes. The results of the plant growth tests showed that the leaching regimes did not have a negative effect on the survival rate and growth of the wheat, and the heavy metal contents of the stem and leaf were effectively reduced. This study provides a reference for the large-scale remediation of contaminated soils.

Polyimide (PI) films are widely used in electronic devices owing to their excellent mechanical and electrical properties and high thermal and chemical stabilities. In particular, PI films play an important role in flexible printed circuit boards (FPCBs). However, one challenge currently faced with their use is that the adhesives used in FPCBs cause a high dielectric loss in high-frequency applications. Therefore, it is envisioned that PI films with a low dielectric loss and Cu films can be used to prepare two-layer flexible copper clad laminates (FCCLs) without any adhesive. However, the preparation of ultra-thin FCCLs with no adhesives is difficult owing to the low peel strength between the PI films and Cu films. To address this technical challenge, an FCCL with no adhesive was prepared by high-power helicon wave plasma (HWP) treatment. The surface roughness of the PI film and the peel strength between the PI film and Cu film were measured. The experimental results showed that the surface roughness of the PI film increased by 40-65% and the PI film demonstrated improved adhesion (the peel strength was &gt;8.0 N/cm) with the Cu film following plasma treatment and Cu plating.

Recently, cobalt iron boron (CoFeB) thin films have been widely investigated to apply to magnetic sensors, due to their high magnetic moment, anisotropy, and stability. However, most of these studies are conducted on rigid silicon substrates. For more diverse applications of magnetic sensors and angle sensors, it is important to explore the properties of ferromagnetic thin films grown on non-rigid deformable substrates. Here, using representative deformable substrates such as polyimide (PI), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) that can be bent or stretched, we report experimental comparison of in-plane magnetic field angle-dependent properties of the amorphous Ta/CoFeB/MgO/Ta thin film which is grown on those deformable substrates. We investigate effects of substrate roughness, tensile stress, characteristics of deformable substrates, and sputtering process on the change of magnetic properties like coercive field (Hc), remanence over saturation magnetization (Mr/Ms), and their biaxial characteristics. This work presents unconventional foundations for exploring deformable magnetic sensors capable of detecting magnetic field angle.

A series of polycaprolactones (PCLs) with molecular weights of 950–10,100 g mol−1 and Ð of 1.10–1.87 have been synthesized via one-pot, solvent-free ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-caprolactone (CL) using a heterogeneous double metal cyanide (DMC) catalyst. Various initiators such as polypropylene glycol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerol, and sorbitol are employed to tune the number of hydroxyl end groups and properties of the resultant PCLs. Kinetic studies indicate that the DMC-catalyzed ROP of CL proceeds via a coordination mechanism. Branched PCLs copolymers are also synthesized via the DMC-catalyzed copolymerization of CL with glycidol. The α,ω-hydroxyl functionalized PCLs were successfully used as telechelic polymers to produce thermoplastic poly(ester-ester) and poly(ester-urethane) elastomers with well-balanced stress and strain properties.

In order to cope with the limited supply of feed for global animal production, there is a pressing need to explore alternative feed resources. Orange pulp, a by-product of agriculture and industry, has shown potential to positively or neutrally impact pig productive performance when included in their diet. However, there is a lack of research on the effects of fermented navel orange pulp (FNOP) on pig growth and productive performance. This study aimed to investigate the effects of FNOP as a dry matter substitute on pig’s growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality, meat nutrition, and serum biochemical indicators. The experiment involved 128 finishing Tibetan pigs, divided into four feed treatment groups, with varying levels (0%, 5%, 10% and 15%) of FNOP replacing dry matter in the basal diet. The results indicated that substituting 5% to 15% FNOP had no adverse effects on pig growth performance. However, at a 15% substitution rate, there was a decrease in serum growth hormone and IGF-1 levels, along with an increase in feed-to-gain ratio. A 10% FNOP replacement notably increased the eye muscle area of pigs. Additionally, 5% and 10% FNOP substitutions reduced the drip loss of pork. The study also found that substituting 5% to 15% FNOP increased unsaturated fatty acids and umami nucleotide contents in pork, as well as raised serum total protein and uric acid (nucleotide metabolism related-product) levels. These findings suggest that moderate FNOP substitution might enhance meat quality and maintain growth and productive performance in Tibetan pigs by improving protein synthesis and nucleotide metabolism, while also reducing feed costs. The optimal substitution ratio identified was 10%.

For Lentinula edodes, its characteristic flavor is the key determinant for consumer pref-erences. However, the tissue-specific volatile flavor variations of the fruiting body have been overlooked. Here, we comprehensively investigated volatile flavor profiles of different tissues including the pileus skin, context, gill and stipe of the fruiting body of two widely cultivated L. edodes strains (T2 and 0912). We show that the eight-carbon and sulfur com-pounds, which represented 43.2-78.0% and 1.4-42.9% to the total volatile emissions for strain 0912 and T2, dominated their volatiles profiles. The sulfur compounds could rep-resent 32.2% and 42.9% to the total volatile emissions for the context of the strain 0912 and T2, respectively, whereas only represented 1.4% for the stipes of the strain 0912 and 9.0% for the skin of strain T2. Proportions of the predominant C8 compounds (1-Octen-3-one, 1-Octen-3-ol and 3-Octanone) and sulfur compounds (Lenthionine, 1,2,4-Trithiolane, Di-methyl disulfide and Dimethyl trisurfide) changed depending on tissues and strains. We further reveal that the overall volatile flavor profiles varied greatly in different tissues and strains. With machine learning algorithm, we show that volatile profiles could 100% pre-dict strains 0912 and T2. The prediction accuracy for different tissues could also reach 100%. Our results highlight the tissue-specific volatile flavor variations of the L. edodes fruiting body.

This paper reports aligned activities to promote energy and resource-efficient construction practice in Vietnam. First, the governance framework is introduced, including government decrees and technical standards. Then, a laboratory with building physics measurement technology is designed and partly set up at the local partner Vietnam Institute for Building Materials (VIBM), which can be used to determine the essential characteristic values required for the implementation of energy standards. The basis for the prioritization of the characteristic values are the requirements of the National technical regulation on energy efficient buildings of Vietnam – QCVN09:2017/BXD. Furthermore, basic characteristic values from international standards are described, which can also be used for calculations to optimize the energy consumption of buildings. In order to be able to carry out transient hygrothermal computer simulations, special characteristic values were also included. These are particularly useful for the research and development of new building materials and the evaluation of entire buildings in terms of thermal and moisture protection In order to communicate the material properties to the market and enable informed decision making by the stakeholders, a labeling system has been developed. Thereby, the practical means for implementing governance instruments are provided, and the related technical applications are supported.

We have particularly investigated the correlation law of the effect of different carbon black fillings on the hyper-elastic mechanical behavior of natural rubber by conducting uniaxial tensile tests over a wide range of deformations with different volume fractions of carbon black fillings (0%, 4.7%, 8.9%, 12.8%, 16.4%, 19.7%, 22.7%, 25.2%). The results show that the stress-strain curve for carbon black filled rubber increases with the amount of filling, meaning that the rubber gradually becomes "harder". We explore the correlation between the carbon black filling volume and the parameters of the Yeoh constitutive model by examining the Yeoh constitutive model to characterize the hyper-elastic mechanical behavior of rubber with different carbon black fillings. A quantitative relationship between the material parameters and the carbon black filling volume in the Yeoh constitutive model is presented. A method for calculating the material parameters of the Yeoh constitutive model is developed and it predicts the correlation between the hyper-elastic properties of rubber and the volume fraction of carbon black filling.

Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis), a nematode parasite, is the major cause of Trichinellosis, a zoonotic disease. A key role of MAPR in the reproductive system is to maintain pregnancy. Previous studies found antihormone (P4 and RU486) drug design and vaccine therapy of recombinant protein (rTs-MAPRC2) to control T. spiralis infection. The current study investigates the inhibitory effects of different ratios of antibody against Ts-MAPRC2 on the development of muscle larvae (ML) and newborn larvae (NBL). First, we performed indirect immunofluorescence assays (IIFA) and examined the effects of rTs-MAPRC2-Ab on ML and NBL in vitro as well as in vivo. After-ward, siRNA-Ts-MAPRC2 was transfected into T. spiralis muscle larvae. Following that, Ts-MAPRC2 protein was detected by Western Blotting and mRNA levels were determined by qPCR. Also, we assessed whether siRNA-treated NBLs were infective by analyzing muscle larvae burden (MLs). Our Result showed rTs-MAPRC2-Ab greatly inhibited the activity of the Ts-MAPRC2 gene in ML and NBL of T. spiralis. rTs-MAPRC2-Ab reduced larval infectivity and survival in the host in a dose-dependent manner (1:50, 1:200, 1:800 dilutions). Further, siR-NA-Ts-MAPRC2 effectively silenced the Ts-MAPRC2 gene in muscle larvae (ML) by in vitro, as well as in new-born larvae (NBL) of T. spiralis by in vivo. In addition, siRNA-Ts-MAPRC2 (siR-NA180, siRNA419, siRNA559) reduced host larval survival and infectivity significantly. The effect of siRNA on larval development, survival, and infectivity was significantly reduced when the Ts-MAPRC2 gene was knocked down. This study, therefore, suggests that Ts-MAPRC2 might be a novel molecular target that might be useful in the development of vaccines against T. spiralis infection.

Establishing an effective evaluation model to analyze the actual environmental level of the multi-indicator systems is an urgent challenge. However, due to the complexity of the environmental system, the factors that determine the practical system are usually interrelated. To solve this problem, many methods have been proposed and verified. However, the disadvantage of unreasonable weight determination and only single-indicator assessment limits the practical application of these analysis methods. Here, we established an optimized entropy weight model and integrate it with the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) method to quantify the complex environmental system. By introducing the linear programming method into the entropy weight solution, we can obtain high accuracy weight values and strong resistance to extreme data. Theoretical and simulation results demonstrate that our method can enhance the precision of weight calculation and evaluation results for multi-factor systems. Our work develops an effective method to quantify the complex environment system comprehensively and is significant to real applications of evaluation method.

Cerebral ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. 2’-fucosyllactose (2’-FL), a human milk oligosaccharide, has anti-inflammatory effects and plays a protective role in arterial thrombosis, but its role in ischemic stroke remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of 2’-FL and its potential mechanisms in a mouse model of ischemic stroke. The administration of 2’-FL led to a reduction in the size of cerebral infarct and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related products in the brain of MCAO mice. Further, 2’-FL promotes the recovery of neurological deficits and motor function in neurological scores and behavior tests. Biochemical studies showed that 2’-FL reduced upregulated IL-10 and downregu-lated TNF-α. Additionally,2’-FL enhanced M2-type microglial polar2’-FL upregulated IL-10 and downregulated TNF-α ization at 7 days after MCAO, with an increase in IL-4 levels and STAT6 activation at 3 days after MCAO. Our data showed that 2’-FL reduced the neurological symptoms of ischemic stroke and ROS accumulation in the brain through IL-4/STAT6-dependent M2-type mi-croglial polarization in MCAO mice. These results demonstrate that 2’-FL is a potentially effective therapeutic agent for ischemic stroke.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a major type of primary brain tumors without ideal prognosis and it’s necessary to find novel compound possessing therapeutic effect. Chrysomycin A (Chr-A) has been reported to inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of U251 and U87-MG cells, but the mechanism of Chr-A against glioblastoma in vivo and whether Chr-A modulates apoptosis of neuroglioma cells is unclear.The present study was to elucidate the potential of Chr-A against glioblastoma in vivo and how Chr-A modulates apoptosis of neuroglioma cells. Briefly, The an-ti-glioblastoma activity was assessed in human glioma U87 xenografts nude mice. Chr-A-related targets were identified by RNA-seq. Apoptotic ratio and caspase 3/7 activity of U251 and U87-MG cells were assayed by flow cytometry. Apoptosis-related proteins and possible molecular mecha-nism were validated via Western blotting. The results showed that Chr-A treatment significantly inhibits glioblastoma progression in xenografts nude mice, and enrichment analysis suggested that apoptosis, PI3K-Akt and Wnt signaling pathway were involved in the possible mechanism. Chr-A increased apoptotic ratio and the activity of caspase 3/7 in U251 and U87-MG cells. Western blot revealed that Chr-A broke the balance between Bax and Bcl-2 activating caspase cascade re-action and downregulated the expression of p-Akt and p-GSK-3β, suggesting that Chr-A may contribute to glioblastoma regression modulating Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway to promote apoptosis of neuroglioma cells in vivo and in vitro. Therefore, Chr-A may hold therapeutic promise for glioblastoma.

To explore the effects of pymetrozine on the reproductive behavior of N. lugens, we established a bioassay method to accurately evaluate the toxicity of pymetrozine in N. lugens and establish the level of pymetrozine resistance of N. lugens in the field. In this study, pymetrozine’s effects on the fecundity of N. lugens were evaluated using the topical application method and rice-seedling dipping method. Moreover, the resistance of N. lugens to pymetrozine in a pymetrozine-resistant strain (Pym-R) and two field populations (YZ21 and QS21) was determined using the rice-seedling dipping method and fecundity assay methods. The results showed that treatment of N. lugens third-instar nymphs with LC15, LC50, and LC85 doses of pymetrozine resulted in significantly reduced male fertility and female fecundity. In addition, N. lugens adults treated with pymetrozine using the rice-seedling dipping and topical application method also exhibited significantly in-hibited male courtship, fertility, and female receptivity. Using the rice-stem dipping method, pymetrozine resistance was shown to be at high levels in Pym-R (194.6-fold), YZ21 (205.9-fold), and QS21 (212.8-fold), with LC50 values of 522.520 mg/L (Pym-R), 552.962 mg/L (YZ21), and 571.315 (QS21) mg/L. However, when using the rice-seedling dipping or topical application fe-cundity assay method, Pym-R (EC50: 14.370 mg/L, RR=12.4-fold; ED50: 0.560 ng/adult, RR=10.8-fold), YZ21 (EC50: 12.890 mg/L, RR=11.2-fold; ED50: 0.280 ng/adult; RR=5.4-fold), and QS21 (EC50: 13.70 mg/L, RR=11.9-fold) exhibited moderate or low levels of resistance to pymet-rozine. Our studies show that pymetrozine can significantly inhibit the fecundity of N. lugens. The fecundity assay results showed that N. lugens only developed low to moderate levels of resistance to pymetrozine, indicating that pymetrozine can still achieve effective control on the next gen-eration of N. lugens populations.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic and allergic skin disease, however, there is no cure for the disease. Many studies have shown anti-AD potentials of red ginseng, while red ginseng marc (RGM) remained after the ginseng extraction is discarded as industrial waste. However, it is recently reported that RGM, particularly fermented RGM (fRGM), still contains the bioactive properties. Thus, anti-allergic effects of fRGM were examined in 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene-induced AD-like mice model. The model was topically treated with distilled water (control), dexamethasone, or fRGM for six weeks. The treatments of fRGM alleviated the skin lesions and reduced serum IgE levels, compared with the control. The fRGM also reduced skin levels of lipid peroxidation and superoxide anion, however, increased glutathione contents, with down-regulated gene expressions for inflammatory mediators. The histopathological analyses demonstrated that fRGM suppressed the epidermal thickening, collagen deposition, and inflammatory cell and mast cell infiltration, which involved the anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-apoptotic effects. Further, fRGM suppressed hypertrophic changes and inflammatory responses in the spleen and lymph node. The beneficial effects were observed in the dexamethasone and fRGM groups, however, the antioxidant effects were evident only in the fRGM treatments. These provide useful information for developing fRGM as therapeutic sources for AD.

β-apopicropodophyllin (APP), a derivative of podophyllotoxin (PPT), has been identified as a potential anti-cancer drug. This study tested whether APP acts as an an-ti-cancer drug and can sensitize colorectal cancer (CRC) cells to radiation treatment. APP had an anti-cancer effect against the CRC cell lines HCT116, and DLD-1, SW480 and COLO320DM with IC50 values of 7.88 nM, and 8.22 nM, 9.84 nM and 7.757 nM, respec-tively induction of DNA damage. Colonogenic and cell counting assays indicated that the combined treatment of APP and γ-ionizing radiation (IR) showed greater retardation of cell growth than either alone, suggesting that APP sensitizes CRC cells to IR. Annexin V-propidium iodide (PI) assays and immunoblot analysis showed that the combined treatment of APP and IR increased apoptosis in CRC cells compared with either APP or IR alone. Results obtained from the xenograft experiments also indicated that the combination of APP and IR enhanced apoptosis in in vivo animal model. Apoptosis induction by the combined treatment of APP and IR resulted from reactive oxygen species (ROS). Inhibition of ROS by N-acetylcysteine (NAC) restored cell viability and decreased the induction of apoptosis by APP and IR in CRC cells. Taken together, these results indicate that a combined treatment of APP and IR might promote apoptosis by inducing ROS in CRC cells.

Reverse water gas shift reaction (RWGS) is an important process which plays a vital role in many CO2 utilization related reactions. Noble metals are the most active catalysts in RWGS, but the high price and low reserve strangled their applications. In the present work, we reported a non-transition-metal MgAl2O4 catalyst which showed outstanding activity and stability at high temperatures in the RWGS reaction and improved performance after doping of single atomic Nin+. The catalyst can obtain 46% of CO2 conversion in durability test of 75 h at 800 °C under high weight hourly space velocities (225 000 ml g-1 h-1). The adsorption sites, possible reaction route, and effects of Nin+ single atoms on the (111) surface of MgAl2O4 for RWGS were investigated by in situ DRIFTS and DFT calculations. The results indicated that the rate determining reaction step of RWGS on MgAl2O4 and Ni (SA)/MgAl2O4 were both the reaction of OH* + H* → H2O* + *, but the energy barrier was significantly reduced after introducing single atomic Nin+. Nin+ atoms can increase the hydroxyl coverage on the surface of catalyst and Al3+ sites near the Nin+ ion are considered as the predominant active sites for RWGS reactions.

Purpose Immune responses for cancer cells can be altered according to genetic variation of human leukocyte antigen (HLA). Association of HLA polymorphism with risk of various cancer types is well known. However, the association between HLA and glioblastoma (GBM) remains uncertain. We sought to evaluate the association of HLA polymorphism with risk of GBM development in Koreans. Materials and Methods A case-control study was performed to identify the odds ratios (OR) of HLA class I and II genes for GBM. The control group consisted of 142 healthy Korean volunteers, and the GBM group was 80 patients with newly diagnosed GBM at our institution. HLA class I (-A, -B, and –C) and class II (-DR, -DQ, and –DP) genotyping was performed by high-resolution polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-sequence-based typing (PCR-SBT) methods. Results There were significantly decreased frequencies of HLA-A*26:02 (OR 0.22 CI 0.05-0.98), HLA-C*08:01 (OR 0.29 CI 0.10-0.87), and HLA-DRB1*08:03 (OR 0.32 CI 0.11-0.98), while there was significantly increased frequency of HLA-C*04:01 (OR 2.29 CI 1.05-4.97). In analysis of haplotypes, the frequency of DRB1*14:05-DQB1*05:03 was significantly decreased (OR 0.22 CI 0.05-0.98). Conclusion This study suggests that genetic variations of HLA may affect GBM development in Koreans. Further investigations with larger sample sizes are needed to delineate any potential role of the HLA polymorphisms in the pathogenesis of GBM development.

Hypergravity accelerators are a type of large machinery used for gravity training or medical research. A failure of such large equipment can be a serious problem in terms of safety or costs. This paper proposes a prediction model that can proactively prevent failures that may occur in a hy-pergravity accelerator. The method proposed in this paper was to convert vibration signals to spectograms and perform classification training using a deep learning model. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of the method proposed in this paper. A 4-channel accel-erometer was attached to the bearing housing, which is a rotor, and time-amplitude data were obtained from the measured values by sampling. The data were converted to a two-dimensional spectrogram, and classification training was performed using a deep learning model for four conditions of the equipment: Unbalance, Misalignment, Shaft Rubbing, and Normal. The ex-perimental results showed that the proposed method had a 99.5% F1-Score, which was up to 23% higher than the 76.25% for existing feature-based learning models.

With the long-term and large-scale use, herbicides have been well known to influence tritrophic interactions particularly natural enemies of pests in agro-ecosystems. On the other hand, herbivorous insects, especially the generalist pests, have developed antagonistic interaction to different insecticides, toxic plant secondary metabolites and even heavy metals. However, whether exposure to herbicides would affect resistance of insects against insecticides is largely unknown, especially in agricultural pests. Here, we first reported that pre-exposure to two widely used herbicides butachlor and haloxyfop-methyl for 48 h can prime resistance of a generalist agricultural pest Helicoverpa armigera Hübner against insecticide methomyl and fungal toxin aflatoxin B1. In addition, there were no significant differences between control and herbicides-treated caterpillars on weight gain, pupal weight and pupation rates, suggesting that exposure to herbicides induce resistance of H. armigera accompanied with no fitness cost. Moreover, by determining detoxifying enzyme activities and toxicity bioassay with additional inhibitor of cytochrome P450 piperonyl butoxide (PBO), we showed that exposure to herbicides might prime P450-mediated detoxification of H. armigera against insecticide. Based on these results, we propose that exposure to herbicides primes resistance of H. armigera against insecticide by eliciting a clear elevation of predominantly P450 monooxygenase activities in midgut and fat body.

Metal and alloy toughening was the core and long-term research direction in materials filed. As grain size had bimodal distribution, micro/nano-structured alloys presented excellent comprehensive mechanical properties, and this had become one of the research hotspots and developing trends in the field of nanotechnology. In-situ tensile test was a direct and effective method to study the deformation mechanism of materials, which revealed the multiple mechanisms responding to feature grain sizes and provided reliable experimental means and research technique. Research on development of in-situ technique and its applications in mechanical properties was reviewed in this paper according to the recent advances on the modern mechanical properties for high strength and high plasticity alloy at home and abroad. The disadvantages of the present study of preparation methods and investigation techniques for high-performance alloy had been concluded. Finally, the development prospects of high strength and high plasticity alloy materials were analyzed.

Echinococcus granulosus is a harmful cestode parasite which could cause Cystic Echinococcosis in humans, various livestock species and wild animals. Calmodulin (CaM), a Ca²⁺ sensor protein, is widely expressed in eukaryotes and mediates a variety of cellular signaling activities. In our study, the CaM in Echinococcus granulosus (rEgCaM) was successfully cloned and the molecular and biochemical characterizations of rEgCaM were identified. The results showed that rEgCaM was a highly conserved calcium-binding protein, consisting of 149 amino acids. Immunoblot analysis revealed that rEgCaM could be identified using E. granulosus infected sheep serum. The usage of rEgCaM as antigen was evaluated by indirect ELISA which exhibited a high sensitivity of 90.3% but low specificity (47.1%). rEgCaM was mainly located in the tegument tissues and parenchymal region of protoscoleces, the tegument and inner body of adult worm and predominantly expressed in the germinal layer. The mRNA expression of rEgCaM in PSCs were gradually decreased with the increase death of PSCs. In electrophoretic mobility tests and ANS assays, rEgCaM showed a typical calcium-binding protein characteristics. This is the first report on CaM from E. granulosus and rEgCaM is considered to be involved in some important biological function of E. granulosus as a calcium-binding protein.

Powered ankle prostheses have been proven to improve the walking economy of people with transtibial amputation. All commercial powered ankle prostheses that are currently available can only perform one-degree-of-freedom motion in a limited range. However, studies have shown that the frontal plane motion during ambulation is associated with balancing. In addition, as more advanced neural interfaces have become available for people with amputation, it is possible to fully recover ankle function by combining neural signals and a robotic ankle. Accordingly, there is a need for a powered ankle prosthesis that can have active control on not only plantarflexion and dorsiflexion but also eversion and inversion. We designed, built, and evaluated a two-degree-of-freedom (2-DoF) powered ankle-foot prosthesis that is untethered and can support level-ground walking. Benchtop tests were conducted to characterize the dynamics of the system. Walking trials were performed with a 77 kg subject that has unilateral transtibial amputation to evaluate system performance under realistic conditions. Benchtop tests demonstrated a step response rise time of less than 50 milliseconds for a torque of 40 N·m on each actuator. The closed-loop torque bandwidth of the actuator is 9.74 Hz. Walking trials demonstrated torque tracking errors (root mean square) of less than 7 N·m. These results suggested that the device can perform adequate torque control and support level-ground walking. This prosthesis can serve as a platform for studying biomechanics related to balance and has the possibility of further recovering the biological function of the ankle-subtalar-foot complex beyond the existing powered ankles.

Soil nitrite (NO2‒) is an important reactive intermediate in many nitrogen transformation processes, but it is unstable under acidic conditions. Canonical extraction method of soil NO2‒ with potassium chloride (KCl) solution greatly underestimates its concentration. In order to reflect the concentration more accurately, we optimized the extraction method of soil NO2‒ in this study. Moreover, soil ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3‒) were also systematically investigated to achieve efficient extraction of soil inorganic nitrogen. The results showed that un-buffered KCl significantly underestimated soil NO2‒ concentration compared to DIW. The highest recovery of NO2‒ was obtained by extracting with DIW at 10 min of oscillation for three soils. Compared with DIW, the concentration of NH4+ and NO3‒ in soil extracted from KCl solution increased significantly. Furthermore, the soil inorganic nitrogen content of extracts stored at 4°C for one day were closer to directly measurements of fresh samples than the other storage methods. Overall, the recommend analysis method for soil NO2‒ was extracted by DIW, oscillated for 10 min, and filtered by a 0.45 µm filter, and soil NH4+ and NO3‒ were extracted with KCl solution and oscillated for 30 min. The extract should be stored at 4°C and analyzed within 24 hours.

Results showed that mulberry leaves could significantly reduce backfat thickness (P&lt;0.05) and increase intramuscular fat (IMF) content (P&lt;0.05). Lipidomics analysis showed that mulberry leaves improved lipid profile composition and increased the proportion of triglycerides (TG). Interestingly, IMF content was positively correlated with acyl C18:2 and negatively correlated with C18:1 of differential TGs. In addition, cecal microbiological analysis showed that mulberry leaves could increase the abundance of bacteria such as UCG−005, Muribaculaceae_norank, Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group, Limosilactobacillus, and so on. At the same time improve the L-tyrosine-baton rouge ester, Oleic acid methyl ester, 21-deoxycortisol, N-acetyldihydrosphingosine, Mulberrin relative abundance. In this study, we found that mulberry leaves could extremely significantly increasing the mRNA relative expression of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) and peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) in muscle (P＜0.01), significantly increasing mRNA relative expression of diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) (P＜0.05) and significantly decreasing the mRNA relative expression of acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC) (P＜0.05), and aignificantly upregulated hormone-sensitive triglyceride lipase (HSL), peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor α (PPARα) mRNA relative expression (P＜0.05) in backfat. In addition mulberry leaves could increased serum leptin and adiponectin (P＜0.01). Ultimately lead to up-regulation of IMF and down-regulation of backfat.

Three new cembranoids (1–3) and a new casbanoid (4), along with three known analogues (5–7), have been isolated from the soft coral Sinularia nanolobata collected off Ximao Island. The structures including the absolute configurations of new compounds were established by extensive spectro-scopic data analysis, time-dependent density functional theory/electronic circular dichroism (TDDFT-ECD) calculations and the comparison with spectroscopic data of known compounds. In in vitro bioassay, compounds 1 and 5 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activities against human erythroleukemia (HEL) cells line with IC50 values of 37.1 and 42.4 uM, respectively.

Disposal and treatment of excess sludge is a huge problem in waste water treatment plants. Discharge plasma oxidation is an effective approach for sludge dewatering and digestion. In this study, the excess sludge disintegration by non-thermal discharge plasma coupled with thiosulfate (TSA) was investigated. The soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) increased to 404.93 mg L-1 after 20 min of single discharge plasma treatment, and it further increased to 549.08 mg L-1 after adding 15 mmol L-1 of TSA; the water content of filter cake also further decreased in the presence of TSA. There existed an appropriate TSA dosage. In the discharge plasma coupled with TSA system, reactive oxygen species (·OH and ·O2-) were produced and played important roles in sludge disintegration. The addition of TSA promoted the production of ·OH. These reactive oxygen species destroyed the floc structures and promoted the transformation of organic substances, leading to reduction in average size of sludge flocs. The ratio of soluble extracellular polymer substances (S-EPS) was enhanced, while the ratio of tightly bound fraction was reduced after treatment. Thus, discharge plasma coupled with TSA promoted the lysis of microbial cells and released intracellular organic matter and bound water, finally improving sludge dewaterability.

Ningxiang pig is renowned breed for its exceptional meat quality, but it possesses suboptimal carcass traits. To elucidate the genetic architecture of meat quality and carcass traits in Ningxiang pigs, we assessed heritability and executed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) concerning carcass length, backfat thickness, meat color parameters (L.LD, a.LD, b.LD), and pH at two postmortem intervals (45 minutes and 24 hours) within a Ningxiang pig population. Heritability estimates ranged from moderate to high (0.30 ~ 0.80) for carcass traits and from low to high (0.11 ~ 0.48) for meat quality traits. We identified 21 significant SNPs, the majority of which were situated within previously documented QTL regions. Furthermore, the HMGA1 gene emerged as a pleiotropic gene correlated with carcass length and backfat thickness. The ADGRF1, FKBP5, and PRIM2 genes were associated with carcass length, while the NIPBL gene was linked to backfat thickness. These genes hold potential for use in selective breeding programs targeting carcass traits in Ningxiang pigs.