The energy E takes the place of the gravitational mass m_G to produce gravity [1]. We wonder whether the inertial mass m_i in the inertial force is also replaced by E. The experiments to measure the inertial force and weight of a carrier are presented. Now we can test the principle of equivalence and study foundations of physics in condensed matter.

The gravitational charge should be the energy instead of mass. This modification will lead to some different results and the experiments to test are also presented. Especially, we propose a scheme to achieve the negative energy and gravitational repulsive force in the lab.

This paper describes the formulations for viscoplasticity of metals based on the Chaboche and Delobelle model. The implementations of the viscoplastic models were detailed herein and then implemented via user subroutines for material models (UMAT) in ABAQUS. Two typical metals, i.e., 316 Stainless Steel and Zircaloy-4, were chosen as examples and their viscoplastic behaviors were captured. Numerical simulations are compared to reported experiments to validate the models and the UMAT codes. Typical viscoplastic behaviors of both metals, such as stress relaxation and creep, were captured well against available experiments. We publicize all the data and codes via: https://github.com/XJTU-Zhou-group/ABAQUS_UMAT_316ss_Zr4.

As the global population rapidly ages with longer life expectancy and declining birth rates, the need for healthcare services and caregivers for older adults is increasing. Current research envisions addressing this shortage by introducing domestic service robots to assist with daily activities. The successful integration of robots as domestic service providers in our lives requires them to possess efficient manipulation capabilities, provide effective physical assistance, and have adaptive control frameworks that enable them to develop social understanding during human-robot interaction. In this context, human factors, especially quantifiable ones, represent a necessary component. The objective of this paper is to conduct an unbiased review encompassing studies on human factors studied in research involving physical interactions and strong manipulation capabilities. We identified the prevalent human factors in physical human-robot interaction (pHRI), noted the factors typically addressed together and determined the frequently utilized assessment approaches. Additionally, we gathered and categorized proposed quantification approaches based on measurable data for each human factor. We also formed a map of common contexts and applications addressed in pHRI for a comprehensive understanding and easier navigation of the field. We found out that most of the studies in direct pHRI (when there is direct physical contact) focus on social behaviors with belief being the most commonly addressed human factor type. Task collaboration is moderately investigated, while physical assistance is rarely studied. In contrast, indirect pHRI (when the physical contact is mediated via a third item) studies often involve industrial settings, with physical ergonomics being the most frequently investigated human factor. More research is needed on human factors in direct and indirect physical assistance applications, including studies that combine physical social behaviors with physical assistance tasks. We also found that while the predominant approach in most studies involves the use of questionnaires as the main method of quantification, there is a recent trend that seeks to address quantification approaches based on measurable data.

In this paper, a new approach is proposed for designing ultra-low-power FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) system suitable for use in energy harvesting powered sensors. Bit-serial architecture is adopted to reduce the power consumption of butterfly operation. Simulation results show that, compared with state-of-the-art bit-serial and conventional parallel processors, the proposed technique is superior in terms of silicon area, power consumption, dynamic energy use due to variable precision arithmetic. A sample design of a 64-point FFT shows that the implementation can save about 40% area and 36% leakage power compared with a conventional parallel counterpart, accordingly achieving significant power benefits at a low sample rate and low voltage domain. The dynamic variation of the arithmetic precision can be achieved through a simple modification of the controller with hardware area overhead of 10% gate count.

Predicting and evaluating the vitality level of public spaces of urban design is crucial before new construction and renewal, especially for developing countries, to avoid failures like "ghost neighborhood" and reduce resource waste. However, existing assessment methods for the urban vitality are either static and ignore changes in the time dimension, or rely on historical big data and are unable to predict unbuilt projects. This study combines previous methods and crowds’ characteristics observation in public space, puts forward the crowd-frequency hypothesis and constructs an algorithm, and establishes a time-dimensional urban vitality dynamic prediction model. Taking the Rundle Mall neighborhood in Adelaide, Australia, as an example, the effec-tiveness of the prediction model was proved through on-site observation sampling comparative verification method. In addition, the decision tree model was used to conduct machine learning on the case data, and a set of algorithm programs were obtained that can directly input some basic information to obtain the urban vitality level (high-medium-low) in a certain period. It can be used as a tool to support the design and decision-making processes of urban planners and government officials, providing a low-cost way to achieve sustainable urban vitality construction of late-developing cities directly.

Marine soft corals are prolific sources of various natural products that have served as a wealthy reservoir of diverse chemical scaffolds for new drug leads. The genus Litophyton contains almost 100 species but only a small part of them had been classified and chemically investigated, which calls for more attentions from the global researchers. In the current work, 109 secondary metabolites have been discussed based on published data from 1975 to July, 2023, covering a period of near five decades. The studied species of the genus Litophyton inhabited various tropical and temperate regions and afforded a variety of biologically active natural products such as terpenes, steroids, alkaloids, and lipids. A wide spectrum of pharmacological effects of these compounds had been evaluated, including cytotoxic, anti-HIV, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-malarial, antifeedant, molluscicidal, PTP1B inhibitory, and insect growth inhibitory activities. This review aims to provide an up-to-date literature survey and comprehensive insight into chemical structures, taxonomical distributions, and biological activities of the reported metabolites from the title genus whenever available.

The quantified residence time distribution (RTD) provides a numerical characterization of mixing in the continue casting tundish, thus allowing the engineer to better understand the metallurgical performance of the reactor. This paper describes a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modelling study for analyzing the flow pattern and the residence time distribution in a five-strand tundish. Two passive scalar transport equations are applied to separately calculate the E-curve and F-curve in the tundish. The numerical modelling results are compared to the water modelling results for the validation of the mathematical model. The volume fraction of different flow regions (plug, mixed and dead) and the intermixing time during the ladle changeover are calculated to study the effects of the flow control device (FCD) on the tundish performance. The result shows that a combination of the U-baffle with deflector holes and the turbulence inhibitor has three major effects on the flow characteristics in the tundish: i) reduce the extent of the dead volume; ii) evenly distribute the liquid streams to each strand and iii) shorten the intermixing time during the ladle changeover operation.

Bipedal locomotion remains one of the major open challenges of humanoid robotics. The common approaches are based on simple reduced model dynamics to generate walking trajectories, often neglecting the whole-body dynamics of the robots. As motions in nature are often considered as optimal with respect to certain criteria, in this work we present an optimal control based approach that allows us to generate optimized walking motions using a precise whole-body dynamic model of the robot, in contrast with the common approaches. The optimal control problem is formulated to minimize a set of desired objective functions with respect to physical constraints of the robot and contact constraints of the walking phases. We apply the method with combinations of different objective criteria to the model of a reduced version of the iCub humanoid robot of 15 internal DOF. The obtained trajectories are executed on the real robot and we carry out a discussion on the differences between the outcomes of this approach with the classic approaches.

After the end of colonial rule in 1997, the Hong Kong education system has been experiencing a policy reform on Senior Secondary Education (NSS) Curriculum commenced in September 2009 aiming to educate students as globalized Hong Kong citizens for the Western. Although previous scholars argued that it is hard to differentiate between domestic values and the Western values in account of curriculum development (Sewpaul, 2007), this study demonstrates an analysis using the dichotomy to investigate how local curriculum, especially in the post-colonial areas, embrace both the Western values and domestic values. Using content analysis on the NSS curriculum guides, this article evaluates the influence of the Western values and Chinese values in the NSS curriculum through investigating: (1) how the Western values and Chinese values was incorporated into the curriculum throughout its development (2) why some values are more significantly highlighted in the curriculum guide. Findings include that more Chinese values are involved in the curriculum documents. This may be because of the upholding of domestic values as a post-colonial city. The Western values which are academically related are greatly incorporated into the local curriculum.

Given the increased provision of international exchange programmes in higher education, this paper examines students’ perceptions of their learning process in one Erasmus+ programme in Food Innovation and Product Design. Using evaluation model of international exchange programme and triple helix model as the analytical framework, students’ testimonials from 2015–2021 were analysed using a critical discourse analysis. EU and non-EU students had similar perceptions of learning outcomes related to knowledge of the food innovation industry, but non-EU students had a stronger sense of awareness of both the international context and multicultural interaction.

Fire is a common natural disturbance in forest ecosystems and plays an important role in subsequent vegetation patterns. Based on the spatial sequence method instead of the time successional sequence method, this study selected burned areas in different locations in the Anning River Basin, which contains typical dry valleys. Quadrat surveys and quantitative classification were used to identify the vegetation classification, distribution pattern, and environmental interpretation during the natural restoration process after forest fire. The results showed that: (1) the vegetation community in the early stage of natural recovery after forest fire disturbance could be divided into seven community types, and Quercus guyavaefolia H. Leveille (Qg) was the dominant species in the community; (2) vegetation samples could be divided into five ecological types, and the classification and distribution pattern of community types in this region changed most obviously with altitude; and (3) detrended correspondence analysis could clearly classify vegetation community types, and detrended canonical correspondence analysis could well reveal the relationships between species and environmental factors. This study provides a scientific basis guiding the restoration of ecosystem structural stability and biodiversity in burned areas.

Thought runs through the mind like blood runs through our body to keep us alive. Like the mind, the body does not stay inert and is in constant motion. Not a single cell in our body is left inert unless cell is under stress or dying. These scenarios are reflected upon when a person is sick, the person lies in bed with less movement; however, is active when the person is healthy. The topic of mechanical stimulation has emerged due to the increasing understanding of the physical stimulations we face each day. Further understanding of the mechanically-regulated mechanism can help us explore the pathological events in a disease. Here, we reviewed the role of sensory proteins in pathological events that are observed in cardiomyopathy, cancer, respiratory, renal, obesity, genetics, physical injury and bacterial infection. Taken together, sensory proteins are mechanically-activated which assist reception of external physical stimulation and convert into biochemical to trigger intracellular signaling cascade.

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is a cutting-edge biomedical imaging modality, providing detailed anatomical and functional information about the area beneath the skin surface. Its light energy deposition is such that PAI typically provides clear images of the skin with high signal-to-noise ratios. Specifically, the rich optical contrast of PAI allows biological information related to lesion growth, malignancy, treatment response, and prognosis to be seen. Given its significant advantages and emerging role in imaging skin lesions, we summarize and comment on representative studies of skin PAI, such as the guidance of skin cancer biopsies and surgical excisions, and the accurate diagnosis of psoriasis. We conclude with our insights about the clinical significance of skin PAI, showing how its use to identify biological characteristics in lesion microenvironments allows early diagnosis and prognosis of disease.

Salvia hispanica (chia) is a highly nutritious food source and has gained popularity due to its high omega-3 fatty acid content. Red spider mites are a serious problem in the production of S. hispanica. However, no study has been conducted to analyse the defensive response to the infestation of red spider mites in S. hispanica. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the defensive response of S. hispanica to red spider mites, we performed a transcriptomic analysis of S. hispanica when infested by red spider mites. In the comparative assessment of leaf transcriptomes, a total of 1743 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between control and mite-infested S. hispanica. From these, 1208 (69%) transcripts were up-regulated and 535 (31%) were down-regulated. The DEGs included transcription factors, defense hormones, and secondary metabolites that were either suppressed or activated in response to spider mite herbivory. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed that plant secondary metabolites such as glucosinolates, and signalling pathways, including the jasmonic acid signalling pathway, may play an important role in the defence against red spider mites. This study provides novel insights into the defence response of S. hispanica in response to insect herbivory and could be a resource for the improvement of pest resistance in the chia.

High-dimensional measurement error data are becoming more prevalent across various fields. Research on measurement error regression models has gained increasing attention due to the risk of drawing inaccurate conclusions if measurement errors are ignored. When the dimension p is larger than the sample size n, it is challenging to develop statistical inference methods for high-dimensional measurement error regression models due to the existence of bias, nonconvexity of objective function, high computational cost and many other difficulties. Over the past few years, some works have overcome the aforementioned difficulties and proposed several statistical inference methods. This paper mainly reviews the current development on estimation, hypothesis testing and variable screening methods for high-dimensional measurement error regression models and shows the theoretical results of these methods with some directions worthy of exploring for future research.

Version Control and Source Code Management Systems, such as GitHub, contain large amount ofunstructured historical information of software projects. Recent studies have introduced Natural Language Processing (NLP) to help software engineers retrieve information from very large collection of unstructured data. In this study, we have extended our previous study by increasing our datasets and ML and clustering techniques. Method: We have followed a complex methodology made up of various steps. Starting from the raw commit messages we have employed NLP techniques to build a structured database. We have extracted their main features and used as input of different clustering algorithms. Once labelled each entry, we have applied supervised machine learning techniques to build a prediction and classification model. Results: We have developed a machine learning-based model to automatically classify commit messages of a software project. Our model exploits a ground-truth dataset which includes commit messages obtained from various GitHub projects belonging to the HEP context. Conclusions: The contribution of this paper is two-fold: it proposes a ground-truth database; it provides a machine learning prediction model. They automatically identify the more change-proneness areas of code. Our model has obtained a very high average precision, recall and F1-score.

China is in the climbing phase of the "Inverted U" environmental Kuznets curve, from excessive environmental consumption to the development stage of governance and protection, and green innovation. It is the most complex period of environmental quality. Environmental and policy regulation are very important. Select panel data of 29 provinces of China (excluding Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Hainan and Tibet) from 2008 to 2017, construct a nonlinear two-threshold regression model, empirically analyse the impact of environmental tax and government innovation subsidies to green processes innovation, and attempt to explore whether the implementation of these two policies at the same time can make enterprises more inclined to green process innovation and whether there is an optimal space for policy implementation. It is proposed that the synergy effect of environmental tax and government innovation subsidy policies on enterprise green process innovation should be fully utilized, and the enterprise green process innovation environment and incentive mechanism should be improved to promote the green transformation and sustainable development of enterprises.

Service pricing is a bottleneck in the development of innovation services, as it is the issue of most concern between the suppliers and demanders. In this paper, a negotiation pricing model that is based on the multiobjective genetic algorithm is developed for innovation service pricing. Regarding the service pricing process as a multiobjective problem, the objective functions, which include the service price, service efficiency, and service quality, for suppliers and demanders are constructed. As the solution of a multiobjective problem is typically a series of alternatives, another negotiation process is necessary for determining the final decision. A learning strategy is adopted during the negotiation process to simulate reality. Finally, the model is implemented for an innovation service transaction, the objective of which is to identify the optimal price plan. The results demonstrate that the model can provide quantitative decision support for the pricing of an innovation service and ultimately yield a win-win result for both the supplier and demander of the innovation service. Furthermore, the influence of the parameters during the negotiation process is analyzed in detail. The effects of the learning strategy on accelerating the negotiation process, as well as the chosen of reasonable parameters are given.

The rapid development of 2019-2020 Wuhan seafood market pneumonia currently posed a major public health concern in China. Genome sequencing identified a novel beta-coronavirus closely related to SARS-CoV, named 2019-nCoV by WHO, as the cause of this pandemic disease. Viruses with single stranded RNA genome are prone to evolve quickly by accumulation of mutations, such as SNV, INDEL and cross viral recombination, aiding fast transmission among hosts and cross species. Here we collected related genome sequences and investigated variations shared by different strains of 2019-nCoV, identified reoccurrence of SNV mutations in clusters of patients, an indication of rapid evolution of 2019-nCoV at the transmission from animal host to human. The information collected herein would help to understand the dynamics of current pandemic.

Orogenic antimony-gold deposits contribute significantly to the global antimony resource base. China's orogenic antimony-gold deposits are primarily in southern Tibet. Investigations indicate that antimony combines and migrates with sulfur hydroxides in ore-forming fluids. Previous research on fluid inclusions in orogenic antimony-gold ores with sedimentary rock accommodation revealed the presence of organic inclusions, including liquid hydrocarbons, alongside common components such as CO2, H2O, CH4, and NaCl. However, the impact of liquid hydrocarbons on antimony migration and mineralization is still de-batable. To investigate the transportability of antimony by liquid hydrocarbons in orogenic antimony ores, we selected n-dodecanethiol and n-dodecane as the subjects. We measured the solubility and occurrence form of antimony in these compounds at various temperatures and durations. The results indicate that after 5 and 10 days of reaction at 100 °C, the antimony concentrations in the n-dodecanethiol and n-dodecane groups were 67.44±7.62 ppm, 75.15±16.74 ppm, 1.40±1.02 ppm, and 3.02±3.09 ppm, respectively. At 150 °C for 5 and 10 days, the respective concentrations were 50.58±5.39 ppm, 77.26±45.20 ppm, 2.66±3.08 ppm, and 2.41±2.03 ppm. At 200 °C for 5 and 10 days, the corresponding concentrations were 339.76±71.94 ppm, 218.97±25.03 ppm and 6.53±7.17 ppm, 2.27±0.82 ppm (n=3). The measured solubility of antimony in the n-dodecanethiol group increased gradually with rising temperature. The solubility of antimony in the n-dodecane group was low and notably inferior to that observed in the n-dodecanethiol group. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis demonstrated a distinct thiol (R-SH) peak at 163.31 eV and compound peaks of antimony reacting with thiols at 162.06 and 160.87 eV. This suggests that antimony predominantly forms complexes with thiols for migration. Our findings suggest that specific liquid hy-drocarbon components, predominantly thiols, can interact with antimony at metallogenic temperatures and persist in ore-forming fluids, facilitating migration and mineral enrichment. Earlier experimental studies on gold and crude oil have indicated that liquid hydrocarbons also play an essential role in the transportation and enrichment of gold during the formation of gold deposits, thus indicating that liquid hydrocarbons possess the considerable potential to act as an ore-forming fluid during orogenic antimony-gold deposit formation in southern Tibet.

In recent years, there has been significant growth in the ubiquity and popularity of three dimensional(3D) point clouds, with an increasing focus on the classification of 3D point clouds. To extract richer features from point clouds, many researchers have turned their attention to various point set regions and channels within irregular point clouds. However, this approach has limited capability in attending to crucial regions of interest in 3D point clouds and may overlook valuable information from neighboring features during feature aggregation. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel 3D point cloud classification method based on global attention and adaptive graph convolution. The method consists of two main branches: the first branch com-putes attention masks for each point, while the second branch employs adaptive graph convolu-tion to extract global features from the point set. It dynamically learns features based on point interactions, generating adaptive kernels to effectively and precisely capture diverse relationships among points from different semantic parts. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model achieves 93.8% in overall accuracy and 90.8% in average accuracy on the ModeNet40 dataset.

Molecular communication (MC) is a promising bio-inspired paradigm for exchanging molecule information among nanomachines. This paper proposes a synchronisation-assist photolysis MC system that aims to transmit the bio-sensing signal of the tumour microenvironment, facilitated by mitigating redundant molecules for improved bit error rate (BER) performance. Benefits from bio-compatible MC, biosensors could transmit bio-sensing signals of the tumour in $vivo$ instead of converting them to electrical signals. Due to diffusion motion's slow and stochastic nature, inter-symbol interference (ISI), resulting from previous symbols' residual information molecules, inevitably occurs in diffusion-based MC. ISI is one of the challenges in diffusion-based MC, which significantly impacts signal detection. Inspired by on-off keying (OOK) modulation, the proposed modulation implements a switch of molecules and light alternatively. The light emitted is triggered by a synchronisation signal, and the photolysis reactions could reduce the redundant molecules. An expression for the relevant channel impulse response (CIR) is derived from a hybrid channel model of diffusion and photolysis-reaction. This paper implements the maximum posterior estimation scheme to find the optimal decision threshold and analysis the BER performance in terms of different time intervals of the system. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed method can improve the channel capacity and BER performance. We believe that our work may pave the way for MC application in bio-sensing.

Plastic flow in body-centered cubic (bcc) alloys is governed by the thermally-activated screw dislocation motion. In bcc interstitial solid solutions, solute diffusion can occur at very fast rates owing to low migration energies and solute concentrations. Under mechanical loading, solutes may move on the same or similar time scale as dislocations glide, even at low temperatures, potentially resulting in very rich co-evolution processes that may have important effects in the overall material response. It is therefore important to accurately quantify the coupling between interstitial impurities and dislocations, so that larger-scale models can correctly account for their (co)evolution. In this paper, we use electronic structure calculations to obtain the energetics of oxygen diffusion under stress and its interaction energy with screw dislocation cores in bcc tungsten. We find that oxygen atoms preferentially migrate from tetrahedral to tetrahedral sites with an energy of 0.2 eV. This energy couples only weakly to hydrostatic and deviatoric deformations, with activation volumes of less than $0.02$ and $0.2b^3$, respectively. The strongest effect is found for the inelastic interaction between O atoms and screw dislocation cores, which leads to attractive energies on the order of 1.5 eV and a structural transformation of the screw dislocation core from an `easy' to a `hard' core configuration

In this paper, we study the well-posedness and asymptotic behaviour of solutions to a laminated beam in thermoelasticity of type III. We first give the well-posedness of the system by using the semigroup method. Then, we show that the system is exponentially stable under the assumption of equal wave speeds. Furthermore, it is proved that the system is lack of exponential stability for case of nonequal wave speeds. In this regard, a polynomial stability result is proved.

Saliency detection in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image is a difficult problem. This paper proposed a multitask saliency detection (MSD) model for the saliency detection task of SAR image. Firstly, we extract four features of SAR image as the input of the MSD model, which include the intensity, orientation, uniqueness and global contrast. Then, the saliency map is generated by the multitask sparsity pursuit (MTSP) which integrates the multiple features collaboratively. Subjective and objective evaluation of the MSD model verifies its effectiveness. Based on the saliency maps of the source images, an image fusion method is proposed for the SAR and color optical image fusion. The experimental results of real data show the proposed image fusion method is superior to the presenting methods in terms of several universal quality evaluation indexes, as well as in the visual quality. The salient areas in the SAR image can be highlighted and the spatial and spectral details of color optical image can also be preserved in the fusion result.

Currently, efficient utilization of low-grade thermal energy is a great challenge. Thermoelectricity is an extremely promising method of generating electrical energy from temperature differences. As a promising energy conversion technology, thermo-electrochemical cells (TECs) have attracted much attention in recent years for their ability to convert thermal energy directly into electricity with high thermal power. Within TECs, anions and cations gain and lose electrons, respectively at the electrodes using the potential difference between the hot and cold terminals of the electrodes by redox couples. Additionally, the anions and cations therein are constantly circulating and mobile via concentration diffusion and thermal diffusion, providing an uninterrupted supply of power to the exterior. This review article focuses mainly on the operation of TECs, recent ad-vances in redox couples, electrolytes, and electrodes. The outlook for optimization strategies re-garding TECs is also presented in this paper.

The exploration and identification of targets and pathways for Atopic dermatitis (AD) treatment and diagnosis are critical for AD control. The conventional target exploration approach such as the literature review is not satisfying in terms of efficiency and accuracy. Recently, the bioinformatic approach is drawing attention for its unique advantage of high-volume data analysis for target and pathway exploration; Open Targets Platform is the targets source for this study to extract top 200 high-rank proteins from 3122 AD associated proteins. STRING, Cytoscape, CytoHubba, ClueGo, and CluePedia function had been applied for data analysis. The KEGG Mapper search & colour pathway was the pathway map resource for identified pathways; 23 key hub genes (VDR, KIT, BCL2L11, NFKBIA, KRAS, IL13, JAK2, STAT3, IL21, IL4R, REL, PDGFRB, FOXP3, RARA, RELB, EGFR, IL21R, MYC, CREBBP, NR3C1, IL2, JAK1, and KITLG). Additionally, 8 correlated pathways and the biological process had been identified; Through this study, a viable approach for target and pathway exploration had been presented. The identified AD targets and pathways will be tested for upcoming research for traditional Chinese medicinal herb interactions

The data assimilation method to improve sea fog forecast over the Yellow Sea is usually three-dimensional variational assimilation (3DVAR), whereas ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) has not yet been applied on this weather phenomenon. In this paper, two sea fog cases over the Yellow sea, one spread widely and the other spread narrowly along the coastal area, are studied in detail by a series of numerical experiments with 3DVAR and EnKF based on the Grid-point Statistical Interpolation (GSI) system and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The results show that the assimilation effect of EnKF outperforms that of 3DVAR: for the widespread-fog case, the probability of detection and equitable threat scores of the forecasted sea fog area get improved respectively by ~57.9% and ~55.5%; the sea fog of the other case completely mis-forecasted by 3DVAR is produced successfully by EnKF. These improvements of EnKF relative to 3DVAR are benefited from its flow-dependent background error, resulting in more realistic depiction of sea surface wind for the widespread-fog case and better moisture distribution for the other case in the initial conditions. More importantly, the correlation between temperature and humidity in the background error of EnKF plays a vital role in the response of moisture to the assimilation of temperature, which leads to a great improvement on the initial moisture conditions for sea fog forecast.

Aromatic azo compounds have -N=N- double bonds as well as larger π electron conjugation system, which endows aromatic azo compounds with wide applications in the fields of functional materials. The properties of aromatic azo compounds are closely related to the substituents on their aromatic rings. However, traditional synthesis methods, such as the coupling of diazo salts, have a great limitation on the structural design of aromatic azo compounds. Therefore, many scientists have devoted their efforts to developing new synthetic methods. Moreover, recent advances in the synthesis of aromatic azo compounds led to the improvement of design and preparation of light-response materials at molecular level. This review summarizes the important synthetic progress of aromatic azo compounds in recent years, with an emphasis on the pioneering contribution of functional nanomaterials in the field.

The merge areas of freeway work zones include relatively significant safety hazards that have continuously led to urgent safety issues to be solved by the management departments. In order to make up for the cumbersome process of independent identification of rear-end collision and lane change collision on complex road sections, an appropriate identification method of traffic conflicts in the merge area of freeway work zone was explored, this study collected vehicle running tracking data from the merge areas of multiple work zones, using an unmanned aerial vehicle video technique. Based on an inter-frame difference method and the principle of a spatio-temporal context visual tracking algorithm, the vehicles were detected and tracked, and the coordinate data of the vehicles in continuous motion were parsed using MATLAB extension tools. Based on the behavior characteristics of vehicle conflict avoidance, a new identification method for evading severe traffic conflicts is proposed according to the initial velocity, acceleration and accident rate of section traffic. Then, a statistical analysis was performed on the spatial distribution characteristics of the traffic conflicts in typical merge areas. The impacts of the road conditions in work zones, vehicle factors, and traffic flow factors on the traffic conflicts were analyzed. A binomial logistic model was established to identify the main influencing factors. The results show that in the merge area of the freeway work zone, there are serious traffic conflicts between vehicles in the following two situations: (Ⅰ) v∈[7,13.5] m/s and a∈[-3.96,-0.65]m/s2; and (Ⅱ) v∈[13.5,24.3] m/s, and a∈[-3.96,-1.57] m/s2. The probabilities of serious traffic conflicts in the first and last 25 m of the merge area are greater than those in the other sections. The smaller the space between the upstream work zone and the merge area, the greater the probability of serious traffic conflicts between vehicles. When the average vehicle speed is relatively high, the probability of serious conflicts is the highest, i.e., by a multiple of 5.95 from the baseline. Moreover, the probability of serious conflicts between vehicles is higher for larger vehicles, i.e., 4.765 times that for small vehicles. The research results can serve as a reference for freeway management departments to improve the safety levels of merge areas during road work. For example, the probability of serious conflicts can be effectively reduced by setting up reasonable speed limit signs in the work zone, increasing the spacing between work zone and merge area, and appropriately diverting large vehicles.

Wind power generation is one of the mainstream renewable energy resources. Voltage stability is as important as the frequency stability of a power system with a high penetration of wind power generation. The advantages of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems become more significant with the increase of both installed capacity and transmission distance in offshore wind farms. Therefore, this study discusses about various voltage control methods for wind turbines and HVDC transmission systems. First, various voltage control methods of a wind farm were introduced, and they include QV control and voltage droop control. The reactive power of a wind turbine varies with active power, while the active power from each wind turbine may be different owing to wake effects. Thus, QV and voltage droop control with varying gain values were also discussed in this paper. Next, the voltage control methods for a HVDC transmission system, such as power factor control, voltage control, and Vac-Q control, are also summarized and tested in this study. When a three-phase short circuit fault occurs or a suddan reactive power load increases, the system voltage would drop immediately. Thus, various voltage control methods for wind turbines or HVDC can make the system's transient response more stable. Therefore, this study implemented the simulation scenarios, including a three-phase short circuit fault at the point of common coupling (PCC) or a sudden increase of reactive power load, and adopted various voltage control methods, which aims to verify whether additional voltage control methods are effective to improve the performance of transient voltage.

Species diversity has been shown to be influenced by environmental factors, but the mechanism underlying their relationship remains unclear across spatial scales. Based on field investigation data collected from 3,077 sample plots in temperate forest ecosystems, we compared tree species richness, evenness and dominance at 10 km × 10 km, 30 km × 30 km and 90 km × 90 km spatial scales. Then, we detected the scale dependence of changes in tree species composition on climate, topography and forest structure using variation partitioning and quantified their contribution to tree diversity with gradient boosted models (GBMs) and fitted their relationships. The magnitude of tree richness, evenness and dominance significantly increased with spatial scale. Ecological factors jointly accounted for 24.3%, 26.5% and 38.5% of the variation in tree species composition at the three spatial scales, respectively. Annual mean temperature had a strong impact on tree richness, evenness and dominance and peaked at an intermediate scale. Tree evenness and dominance increased with the variation of temperature but had upper and lower limits. Tree richness obviously increased with annual precipitation on multiple scales and decreased with annual sunshine duration at large spatial scale. Tree richness, evenness and dominance obviously increased with the variation elevation and diameter at breast height at large scales and small scales, respectively. Tree dominance decreased with tree height in a hump at small scale. The dependence of tree diversity on ecological factors increased with spatial scales. Furthermore, different factors exert various controls on tree diversity at different spatial scales, representing a comprehensive mechanism regulating tree diversity.

Candida albicans is a major fungal pathogen of humans, accounting for 15% of nosocomial infections with an estimated attributable mortality of 47%. C. albicans is usually a benign member of the human microbiome in healthy people. Under constant exposure to highly dynamic environmental cues in diverse host niches, C. albicans has successfully evolved to adapt to both commensal and pathogenic lifestyles. The ability of C. albicans to undergo a reversible morphological transition from yeast to filamentous forms is a well-established virulent trait. Over the past few decades, a significant amount of research has been carried out to understand the underlying regulatory mechanisms, signaling pathways, and transcription factors that govern the C. albicans yeast-to-hyphal transition. This review will summarize our current understanding of well-elucidated signal transduction pathways that activate C. albicans hyphal morphogenesis in response to various environmental cues and the cell cycle machinery involved in the subsequent regulation and maintenance of hyphal morphogenesis.

Territory space is an ecological resource carrier and place for human development. Human activities and ecological systems are the basis of ecological product supply. Promoting territory spatial protection and governance by improving the ecological products supply is very important. In this study, we established an ecological products supply capacity evaluation index system involving three types of ecological products, i.e., ecological environmental products, ecological material products, and ecological cultural products. For the case of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, we comprehensively used principal component analysis, equivalent factor method, and entropy method to evaluate the supply capacity of the ecological products from 2011 to 2021. Then, we analyzed the spatio-temporal pattern combining the natural breakpoint and quantile classification methods and analyzed the obstacle factors using the obstacle degree model of ecological supply. The results show that the supply capacity of different ecological product in each city are closely related to ecological resource endowment. The supply capacity of ecological products exhibited an upward trend, with the highest ecological environmental products supply, relatively smaller ecological material product supply, and the largest growth rate for ecological cultural product supply. The supply capacity of different ecological products varied across cities over time and displayed noticeable spatial differentiation. The main obstacle factors included eco-land, eco-tourism, eco-leisure, park green space, and fishery products, although there were variations among cities. Finally, based on the level, spatial-temporal pattern, and obstacle factors of ecological product supply, we proposed strategies for territory spatial protection and governance from the perspectives of integrated protection of elements, structural regulation, and systematic governance. The results reflected the ecological functional heterogeneity of territory space, which can provide spatial planning guidance for sustainable development.

Motivated by the intriguing discovery of $X(6900)$ by LHCb Collaboration, we undertake a comprehensive study of the $s\bar{s}s\bar{s}$ tetraquark system in positive parity, employing the Gaussian expansion within the chiral quark model method. We consider two structures, diquark-antidiquark ($ss$-$\bar{s}\bar{s}$) structure and meson-meson ($s\bar{s}$-$s\bar{s}$)strcuture, encompassing all conceivable color and spin configurations. Despite the absence of bound states in our calculations, we have identified potential resonant states with $J^P=0^{+}$, namely $R(0,2150)$ and $R(0,2915)$, as well as a resonant state with $J^P=1^{+}$ denoted as $R(1,2950)$, and a resonant state with $J^P=2^{+}$ denoted as $R(2,2850)$, utilizing the real-scaling method. Through a comparison of their energies and widths, we propose that $R(0,2915)$ and $R(1,2950)$ may share characteristics with $X(6900)$, while $R(0,2150)$ could be a promising experimental candidate for $f_0(2100)$. We strongly advocate for experimental investigations to shed light on the existence and properties of these resonant states.

The 11 system in iron-based superconducting family has become one of the most extensively studied materials in the research of high-temperature superconductivity due to their simple structure and rich physical properties. However, the research on 11 iron-based superconductors faces numerous obstacles, mainly stemming from the challenges associated with producing high-quality single crystals. Since the discovery of FeSe superconductivity in 2008, researchers have made significant progress in crystal growth, overcoming the hurdles that initially impeded their studies. Consequently, they have successfully established the complete phase diagrams of 11 iron-based superconductors, including FeSe1-xTex, FeSe1-xSx and FeTe1-xSx. In this paper, we aim to provide a comprehensive summary of the preparation methods employed for 11 iron-based single crystals over the past decade. Specifically, we will focus on hydrothermal, chemical vapor transport (CVT), self-flux, and annealing methods. Additionally, we will discuss the quality, size, and superconductivity properties exhibited by single crystals obtained through different preparation methods. By exploring these aspects, we can gain a better understanding of the advantages and limitations associated with each technique.

To investigate the photosynthetic change characteristics of mango leaves under enhanced UV-B radiation, adult ‘Tainong No. 1’ mango (Mangifera indica) trees were treated (N=nine individuals) with simulated enhanced UV-B radiation [24 and 96 kJ/(m2·d)] in the field, and the photochemical reactions, activities of key enzymes in carbon assimilation, and the expression of genes were observed. The results showed that compared with the control, there was a decrease in tree yield and nutritional flavor quality of the fruits under the 96 kJ/(m2·d) treatment, while no significant changes were observed under 24 kJ/(m2·d). After 20 or 40 days, leaves’ net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Sc), transpiration rate (Tr), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), and chlorophyll a/b under exposure to 96 kJ/(m2·d) of UV-B were significantly lower than in the control, whereas chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoids, Hill reaction activity, photochemical quenching coefficient (qP), and Rubisco activities were significantly higher. By contrast, the Hill activity and Rubisco activity under 24 kJ/(m2·d) were significantly higher than the control, while Pn, Sc, Tr, Ci, and the content of photosynthetic pigments were similar to the control. The expression of gene coding the Rubisco big subunit (rbcL) was inhibited by the 96 kJ/(m2·d) treatment. We conclude that stomatal limitation was directly induced by 96 kJ/(m2·d), resulting in the inhibition of photosynthesis and the reduction in yield and deterioration of the quality of mango.

A novel starch stabilized Mg/Al LDHs material (S-LDH) was prepared in a facile approach and its fluoride ion removal performance was developed. Characterization of S-LDH was employed by using XRD, FTIR and particle size distribution. The adsorption property was studied through the assessment of adsorption isotherms, kinetic models, thermal dynamics and pH influence. The result shows that a low loading of starch of 10 mg onto LDH could obviously improve fluoride removal rate. The S-LDH had 3 times higher adsorption capacity to fluoride than that of Mg/Al LDH to fluoride. The particle size was smaller and the particle size distribution was narrower for S-LDH than that for Mg/Al LDH. Langmuir adsorption isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model fitted well with the experimental data. In thermodynamic parameters, the enthalpy (△H0) value was 35.63 kJ mol-1 and the entropy (△S0) value was 0.0806 kJ mol-1K-1. The values of △G0 were negative, implying the adsorption process is spontaneous. S-LDH reveals stable adsorption property in a wide pH range from 3 to 9. The mechanism for fluoride adsorption on S-LDH included surface adsorption and interaction ion exchange.

The combustion of fuel oil releases sulfur compounds, which react to form sulfur oxides that are harmful to the environment and pose a threat to human health. To mitigate these negative effects, it is crucial to pretreat fuel oil through desulfurization processes. One promising approach involves the use of deep eutectic solvents (DESs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and their composites (DESs/CNTs) to effectively reduce sulfur content in fuel oil.However, the conventional methods of DES-based extraction desulfurization and CNT-based adsorption desulfurization suffer from low desulfurization rates. Additionally, the composite material DESs/CNTs is in a semi-solidified form, resulting in high viscosity, complex operation procedures, and increased waste and environmental pollution. To address these challenges, this study focused on the preparation of CNTs/PEG-PVA hydrogel. This hydrogel not only maintains the high desulfurization rate observed in the DESs/CNTs composite material but also possesses several advantages. Firstly, it is convenient to use, offering ease of handling and application. Secondly, it is biodegradable, meaning it can break down naturally over time, reducing its impact on the environment. Lastly, the hydrogel is reusable, allowing for repeated use, thereby minimizing material waste. The desulfurization rate achieved with the CNTs/PEG-PVA hydrogel is remarkably high, reaching up to 99.8%. Moreover, the material utilization rate is close to 100%, meaning that almost all of the hydrogel is utilized in the desulfurization process, reducing unnecessary material consumption. In summary, the innovative CNTs/PEG-PVA hydrogel presents a highly efficient and environmentally friendly solution for desulfurization in fuel oil. Its superior desulfurization rate, alongside its convenience, biodegradability, and reusability, positions it as a promising alternative that not only ensures effective desulfurization but also contributes to sustainable practices in the energy industry.

Aimed for the difficulty and complexity of detecting the piston error for segmented telescope, this paper proposed a new piston error measurement method based on a hybrid artificial neural net-work. Firstly, we use Resnet network to learn the mapping relationship between the focal plane degradation image and the signs of the piston error. Then, based on the established theoretical re-lationship between modulation transfer function and the piston error, BP neural network is used here to learn the mapping relationship between the MTF and the absolute value of the piston error. After the training of the hybrid network is completed, a wide-range and high-precision detection of the piston error of the sub-mirrors can be achieved using the combined output of the two net-works only a focal plane image of a point source with broadband illumination is used as input. The detection range can reach the whole coherent length of the input broadband light, and the detec-tion accuracy can reach 10nm. The method proposed in this paper has the advantages of high de-tection accuracy, wide detection range, low hardware cost, small network scale and low training difficult.

The scope of this work was part of our previous research on Pulsed Power Plasma Stimulation Technique. Electromagnetic fields generated during a pulsed power plasma discharge were simulated using a finite element method in the COMSOL RF module. The field distributions were calculated during and after the pulse. The current paper takes advantage of prior work measuring and modeling the current distribution in the plasma arc. Agreement with laboratory experimental measurements provides support for extension of the model to reservoir scale. The validated model was used to quantify the signal attenuation level in different medium environment.

In order to meet the military requirements of the fuze, such as precision strike, efficient mutilates ability and low collateral damages, the microminiaturization is an inevitable trend of secure system. Based on the silicon-based MEMS S&A device designed by our term, the design principles of each module and fabrication process are introduced. The average fracture strength and Young's modulus of the silicon are 726 MPa and 175 GPa from the tensile test, respectively. From Hopkinson impact experiment, we can get the threshold-value judging mechanism being safety under the impact overload of 20526 g, and this value is much more than the standard of the drop overload 12000g; the arming value under the centrifugal overload obtained from theory, simulation and experiment is at the range of 28200 g and 32000 g, it shows that the threshold-value judging mechanism can be arming compared with the value 35951g of design principle. Therefore, the threshold-value judging mechanism can meet the design requirements of overload. Furthermore, the relationship of fracture threshold-values obtained by different theories is found out through parametric design method, as shown in Figure 14, it provides the theory evidence to the follow parametric design.

MEMS (Micro-electromechanical Systems) becomes important increasingly due to the smarter and smaller fuze used in OICW (Objective Individual Combat Weapon). MEMS Safety and Arming (S&A) device is employed in different platforms and regions for small caliber projectile. Therefore, it is necessary to make a parametric study of the MEMS S&A device in different apply environments and explore the main sensitive factors of the MEMS S&A device to provide reference for designs. In this paper, based on the MEMS S&A device designed by our term, theory and finite element models are established, and the centrifugal insurance mechanism of the MEMS S&A device is parametric studied under the different speeds, temperature and thickness of the model by nonlinear dynamic method. By comparing the experimental and predicted results, the established FEM model is verified, and the conclusion is that the temperature and the centrifugal force are the main sensitive factors in the centrifugal insurance mechanism. In summary, we can suggest that the application environment, which the MEMS S&A device is suitable for, is the temperature equal to or slightly greater than normal temperature and the rotating speed higher than35000r/min of small caliber projectile.

Based on acoustic fluid elements, dynamic analysis was performed on liquid sloshing modes and liquid-filled containers considering the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) effect. The liquid sloshing modes in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) containers were analyzed, and the results were compared with liquid sloshing modes measured in tests and theoretically calculated modes. This thus verifies correctness of the simulation method based on acoustic fluid elements. Cylindrical liquid-filled containers with different water levels were subjected to modal analysis and dynamic and time-historical analysis. Results show that the finite element analysis (FEA) based on acoustic fluid elements can accurately simulate liquid sloshing modes in liquid-filled containers and vibration characteristics of these containers with different liquid levels. The vibration frequency of liquid-filled containers declines obviously with rising liquid level. The liquid level significantly affects distributions of the maximum displacement, maximum acceleration, and maximum von Mises stress on the sidewall of liquid-filled containers. Numerical simulations based on acoustic fluid elements provides an effective and reliable method for dynamic analysis of liquid-filled containers considering the FSI effect.

Modern war is sudden and rapid, and once the battle starts, the demand for equipment maintenance and guarantee will show an outburst situation, which puts equipment maintenance and guarantee capability to a severe test. To accurately grasp the civil-military integration of aviation maintenance and guarantee capabilities, it is necessary to evaluate their capabilities. To this end, the evaluation indicator system is established by using the three-dimensional indicator system construction model of "maintenance task → task demand → capability demand", and the evaluation method based on intuitionistic fuzzy entropy and normal grey cloud model is proposed, using intuitionistic fuzzy entropy theory to determine the expert weights and indicator weights, and the grey cloud model theory to determine the capability evaluation level. Finally, the application process of the evaluation model is demonstrated through specific examples, and the evaluation results are analyzed to verify the effectiveness of the evaluation model.

Modern war is sudden and rapid, and once the battle starts, the demand for equipment maintenance and guarantee will show an outburst situation, which puts equipment maintenance and guarantee capability to a severe test. To accurately grasp the civil-military integration of aviation maintenance and guarantee capabilities, it is necessary to evaluate their capabilities. To this end, the evaluation indicator system is established by using the three-dimensional indicator system construction model of "maintenance task → task demand → capability demand", and the evaluation method based on intuitionistic fuzzy entropy and normal grey cloud model is proposed, using intuitionistic fuzzy entropy theory to determine the expert weights and indicator weights, and the grey cloud model theory to determine the capability evaluation level. Finally, the application process of the evaluation model is demonstrated through specific examples, and the evaluation results are analyzed to verify the effectiveness of the evaluation model.

We propose versatile integrated polarizers based on geometric metasurfaces. Metasurface polarizer consists of L-shaped hole array etched on a silver film and it can generate simultaneously several polarization states including the linear polarization, circular polarization, elliptical polarization, or even hybrid polarization. Meanwhile, the combination of output polarization states changes with the illumination polarization type. The theoretical analysis provides the detail explanation for the generation of the integrated polarization states. The well-designed metasurface polarizers may generate more complex polarization modes including vector beams and vector vortex beams. The theoretical and simulated results confirm the polarization performance of the proposed integrated metasurface polarizers. The compact design of metasurface polarizers and the controllable generation of versatile polarization combinations are benefit to the applications of polarization light in optical imaging, biomedical sensing and material processing.

Cellular senescence has recently been recognized as a hallmark of cancer, reflecting its association with aging and inflammation, its role as a response to deregulated proliferation and oncogenic stress, and its induction by cancer therapies such as radiation, chemotherapy, and targeted agents. While such therapy-induced senescence (TIS) has been linked to resistance, recurrence, metastasis and normal tissue toxicity, TIS has the potential to enhance therapy response and stimulate anti-tumor immunity. In this review, we examine the Jekyll and Hyde nature of senescent cells (SnCs), with a particular focus on how their persistence while expressing the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) modulates the tumor microenvironment through autocrine and paracrine mechanisms. Via the SASP, the formation of SnCs may alternately mediate resistance or response to conventional therapy. Further, toward fulfilling the unmet potential of cancer immunotherapy, we consider how SnCs may influence tumor inflammation and serve as a source of antigen to potentiate anti-tumor immunity. This new view suggests treatment strategies based on inducing TIS to enhance immune checkpoint blockade. Finally, we describe strategies for mitigating the detrimental effects of senescence, such as modulating the SASP or targeting SnC persistence, toward enhancing the benefits of cancer treatment.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a important biomarker with significant clinical importance. It plays a key role in angiogenesis, would healing, tumor growth, lung development, and in retinal diseases. Hence, detecting and quantifying VEGF is crucial in clinical diagnosis and prognosis of various diseases. In this work, a simple but highly cost-effective platform is developed for VEGF protein detection by using commercially available interdigitated sensors that are modified through surface chemistry tagged with DNA aptamer grafting. The dielectric characteristics between the fingers of sensor is modulated by the negatively charged aptamer-VEGF capture and the impedance is estimated using impedance analyzer. Impedance spectra tests was compared between pristine unmodified, functionalized monolayer surfaces and aptamer-grafted surfaces in order to evaluate the efficacy of VEGF detection. In our results, the sensitivity experiments as conducted had shown the ability of the interdigitated sensor to detect VEGF at a low concentration of 5 pM. The specificity of the functionalized sensor in detecting VEGF is further studied by comparing the impedance to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and the results confirm the specificity of the sensor. Finally, an alternative illustration of impedance spectra is also proposed to improve the data visualization, and such presentation may be potential for intelligent VEGF detection.

Despite the strong anticancer activity of SN38 (7-ethyl-10-hydroxy-camptothecin), some defects prevent its clinical application, such as severe side effects and loss of anticancer activity due to lack of selectivity to cancer cells and hydrolysis of ring E, respectively. To address the issue, herein a multifunctional SN38 derivative (compound 9) containing biotin (tumor-targeting group) and valproic acid (histone deacetylase inhibitor, HDACi) was synthesized via click chemistry and evaluated using MTT assay. The in vitro cytotoxicity study showed that compound 9 exhibited superior cytotoxicity as irinotecan against human cervical cancer HeLa cells, albeit inferior to SN38. More significantly, compound 9 significantly reduced toxicity in mouse embryonic fibroblast NIH3T3 cells, indicating that compound 9 had the capacity to enhance tumor targeting due to its cell selectivity. Further studies demonstrated that compared with irinotecan, compound 9 induced similar apoptosis of cancer cells. Consequently, compound 9 can not only improve its tumor-targeting ability mediated by biotin but also exert the potent anticancer activity through the synergism of SN38 and valproic acid, indicating that the design concept is an effective strategy for structural modification of SN38.

The outbreak of recently identified 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCOV) infection has become a world-wide health threat. Currently, more information is needed for further understanding the transmission, clinical characteristics, and infection control procedures of 2019-nCOV. Recently, the role of the eye in transmitting 2019-nCOV has been intensively discussed. Previous investigations about other high infectious human COVs, that is, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), may provide helpful information. In this review, we describe the genomics and morphology of human CoVs, the epidemiology, systemic and ophthalmic manifestations, mechanisms of human CoVs infection, and infection control procedures. The role of the eye in the transmission of SARS-CoV and 2019-nCOV is discussed. Although the conjunctiva is directly exposed to extraocular pathogens, and the mucosa of ocular surface and upper respiratory tract is connected by nasolacrimal duct and share same entry receptors for some respiratory viruses. The eye is rarely involved in human CoVs infection, conjunctivitis is quite rare in patients with SARS-CoV and 2019-nCoV infection, and COV RNA positive rate by RT-PCR test in tears and conjunctival secretions from patients with SARS-CoV and 2019-nCoV infection is also very low, which imply that the eye is neither a preferred organ of human COVs infection, nor is a preferred gateway of entry for human COVs to infect respiratory tract. However, pathogens exposed to the ocular surface might be transported to nasal and nasopharyngeal mucosa by constant tear rinsing through lacrimal duct, and then cause respiratory tract infection. Considering close doctor-patient contact is quite common in ophthalmic practice which are apt to transmit human COVs by droplets and fomites, hand hygiene and personal protection are still highly recommended for health care workers to avoid hospital-related viral transmission during ophthalmic practice.

Keywords: Fatigue crack propagation; Welding residual stress; Plastic re-distribution; Stress ratio effect

Aspergillus montevidensis is an important domesticated fungus that has been applied to produce many traditional fermented foods under high osmotic conditions. However, the detailed mechanisms of tolerance to osmotic stress remain largely unknown. Here, we construct a target-deleted strain (ΔLeuRS) of A. montevidensis and found that the ΔLeuRS mutants grew slowly and suppressed the development of the cleistothecium compared to the wide-type strains (WT) under salt-stressed conditions. Furthermore, differentially expressed genes (P<0.0001) governed by LeuRS were involved in salt tolerance, ABC transporter, amino acid metabolism, sugar metabolism, and reproduction process. The ΔLeuRS strains compared to WT strains under short- and long-term salinity stress especially altered accumulation levels of metabolites, such as amino acids and derivatives, carbohydrates, organic acids, and fatty acids. The study provides new insights into the underlying mechanisms of salinity tolerance and lays a foundation for favor improvement of foods fermented with A. montevidensis.

Consumer preference for products made from transgenic technology has been widely studied, yet few studies exist exploring the factors influencing producers’ adoption of transgenic technology. Based on field surveys in Chinese provinces of Shanxi, Henan and Shandong, we employed a gambling experiment to capture producers’ risk preferences by estimating their risk aversion coefficients. We further estimated producers’ risk amplification and risk perception of GM technology. Using ordered logit model and Poisson model we identified the major factors influencing producers’ adoption of transgenic technology. We found the factors impacted the decision of producers from different regions in different ways. The results showed that over 60% of participants amplified the risk of transgenic crops. When there was potential risk, producers might not be rational even if they had high level of knowledge and cognition about the technology. Our results shed light on government policies aiming to increase the adoption of new technologies by producers.

The mutton sheep breeding industry has transformed significantly in recent years, from traditional grassland free-range farming to a more intelligent approach. As a result, automated sheep face recognition systems have become vital to modern breeding practices and have gradually replaced ear tagging and other manual tracking techniques. Although sheep face datasets have been introduced in previous studies, they have often involved pose or background restrictions (e.g., fixing of the subject’s head, cleaning of the face), which restrict data collection and have limited the size of available sample sets. As a result, a comprehensive benchmark designed exclusively for the evaluation of individual sheep recognition algorithms is lacking. To address this issue, this study develops a large-scale benchmark dataset, Sheepface-107, comprised of 5,350 images acquired from 107 different subjects. Images were collected from each sheep at multiple angles, including front and back views, in a diverse collection that provides a more comprehensive representation of facial features. In addition to the dataset, an assessment protocol is developed by applying multiple evaluation metrics to the results produced by three different deep learning models: VGG16, GoogLeNet, and ResNet50, which achieved F1-scores of 83.79%, 89.11%, and 93.44%, respectively. A statistical analysis of each algorithm suggested that accuracy and the number of parameters were the most informative metrics for use in evaluating recognition performance.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a palygorskite-based antibacterial agent (PAA) as an alternative to antibiotics on growth performance, blood parameters, rumen fermentation, and rumen microbiota in sheep. A total of 120 sheep were randomly divided into five groups of six replicates with four sheep each. Sheep were fed a basal diet, an antibiotic diet supplemented with 500 g/t chlortetracycline (CTC), and a basal diet supplemented with 500, 1,000, and 2,000 g/t PAA for 80 d, respectively. Supplementation with 2,000 g/t PAA and 500 g/t CTC increased the average daily gain (ADG) of sheep compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Diets supplemented with 2,000 g/t PAA and 500 g/t CTC reduced (P < 0.05) the feed: gain (F/G ratio) in the overall periods. Dietary Supplementation with 1,000 g/t PAA significantly increased albumin and total protein (P < 0.05). A significant positive correlation was found between growth hormone concentration and PAA supplementation (P < 0.05). In addition, compared to the control group, the CTC group had higher growth hormone concentration and lower lipopolysaccharide concentration (P < 0.05). No dif-ference was observed between the five groups in terms of rumen fermentation characteristics (P > 0.05). At the phylum level, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria was lower in the PAA 2000 and CTC 500 groups than that in the control and PAA 500 groups (P < 0.05). At the genus level, a sig-nificant decrease (P < 0.05) in the relative abundance of RuminococcaceaeUCG-010 was observed in the PAA 1000, PAA 2000, and CTC 500 groups compared with that in the control group. In addition, the relative abundance of Prevotella1 (P < 0.05) was higher in the PAA 2000 group than that in the control group. These findings indicate that dietary supplementation with PAA has ameliorative effects on growth performance, blood parameters, and rumen microbiota, with an optimal dosage of 2,000 g/t for sheep.

The quality of digital elevation models (DEMs) is inevitably affected by the limitations of the imaging modes and the generation methods. One effective way to solve this problem is to merge the available datasets through data fusion. In this paper, a fusion-based global DEM dataset (82°S-82°N) is introduced, which we refer to as GSDEM-30. This is a 30-m DEM mainly reconstructed from the unfilled SRTM1, AW3D30, and ASTER GDEM v2 datasets combining the multi-source and multi-scale fusion techniques. A comprehensive evaluation of the GSDEM-30 data, as well as the 30-m ASTER GDEM v2 and AW3D30 DEM, was presented. Global ICESat GLAS data and the local National Elevation Dataset (NED) were used as the reference for the vertical accuracy validation, while GlobeLand30 was introduced for the landscape analysis. Furthermore, we employed the maximum slope approach to detect the potential artefacts in the DEMs. The results show that the GDEM data are seriously affected by noise and artefacts. With the advantage of the multiple datasets and the refined post-processing, the GSDEM-30 are contaminated with fewer anomalies than both ASTER GDEM and AW3D30. The fusion techniques used can also be applied to the reconstruction of other fused DEM datasets.

The most commonly used real-time augmentation services in China are International GNSS Service (IGS) real-time service, PPP-B2b service, and BeiDou Satellite-Based Augmentation System (BDSBAS) dual-frequency augmentation service. However, the research on the performance evaluation, comparison and application scope of these three products is still unknown and unrevealed. This article introduces methods for obtaining real-time augmentation information and real-time orbit and clock offset recovery. Based on real-time orbit and clock offset accuracy, positioning accuracy, and positioning availability, it systematically evaluates the performance of CNES, PPP-B2b, and BDSBAS augmentation information. The results indicate that the radial accuracy of CNES and PPP-B2b real-time orbit products is consistent, and the Root Mean Square (RMS) is better than 5 cm. CNES can achieve centimeter-level accuracy in both along-track and cross-track components, surpassing the decimeter-level accuracy of PPP-B2b. Both services demonstrate consistent accuracy in real-time clock offset, with PPP-B2b showing similar standard deviations (STD) of 0.16 ns for different satellites. However, for CNES, the STD of real-time clock offset varies for GPS, BDS-3 MEO, and BDS-3 IGSO satellites, with values of 0.10 ns, 0.19 ns, and 0.60 ns, respectively. The accuracy and availability of the two PPP services exhibit the same levels, with centimeter-level accuracy achieved after convergence and positioning availability exceeding 99%. Therefore, the difference between the two services in application areas depends on the acquisition of augmentation information. However, BDSBAS, which concentrates on code observations, demonstrates lower accuracy in real-time orbit and clock offset, positioning accuracy, and positioning availability compared to the other two services. Its primary application is in the aviation and maritime domains, where there is a greater need for service integrity, continuity, and reliability.

In order to improve the performance of the draft tube in hydraulic turbine, a multi–objective optimization method for the draft tube is developed by combining the design of experiment (DOE), the radial basis function (RBF) and the non–dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA–II) in this paper. The geometrical design variables of the median section in the draft tube and the cross section in its exit diffuser are considered as design parameters in this optimization, which objective function is to maximize the pressure recovery factor (Cp) and minimize the energy loss coefficient (ζ). The limited numbers of design matrix required for the shape optimization of the draft tube is generated by optimal Latin hypercube (OLH) method of the DOE technique, of which performances are evaluated through computational fluid dynamic (CFD) numerical simulation. For reducing of the computational consumption, the approximate model is used based on the RBF. The Pareto optimal solutions are finally performed using the NSGA–II for obtaining the best geometrical parameters of the draft tube. The optimization result of the draft tube shows a marked performance improvement over the original, which verifies the theoretical validity and feasibility of the proposed method in this paper.

This research investigates the fatigue crack propagation on the lower surface of rocket deflector troughs of offshore rocket launch platforms. Initially, a numerical model of the offshore rocket launch platform is established using ABAQUS based on the Extended Finite Element Method (XFEM). Subsequently, two variable parameters—namely, the initial crack length and initial tilt angle—are introduced. This research systematically analyzes the impact of these parameters on fatigue crack propagation patterns in both the maximum stress and maximum deformation regions of the deflector channels under the combined conditions of high temperature and impact. Finally, the research indicates that the propagation length of surface cracks in the deflector trough exhibits a trend of initial increase followed by a subsequent decrease with the increase in the preset inclination angle. Notably, the stable propagation rate of the crack in the region of maximum deformation surpasses that observed in the region of maximum stress. Through meticulous comparative analysis, it is evident that temperature loading significantly fosters the initiation and propagation of cracks, particularly in the upper region of the deflector channel's lower surface.

With the rapid development of China's economy, construction industrialization has become the main development trend of China's construction industry, and the convenient, efficient, environmental protection has become the new fashion, therefore the application of prefabricated building is more and more common. Stair serves as the weak link in prefab type building, the connecting node has an important influence on its failure. In this paper, pseudo-static tests are carried out on the joints in different forms of ladder holes to study the mechanical properties of flexible hinge points filled with flexible materials, and the hysteresis curve, skeleton curve and bearing capacity of each specimen are analyzed. The test results show that the flexible hinge can give full play to its flexible characteristics to ease the stress of ladder beam, pin bolt reinforcement and ladder hole, and the bearing capacity of flexible hinge points is moderate, which can not only mitigate the inclined bracing effect under the action of small and medium earthquakes, but also ensure the stair does not fall off under the action of large earthquakes. Through the experiment comparison, the ladder hole adopts node form 2, which can give full play to the advantage of flexible material.

Examining the clustering characteristics and fluctuations within urban areas during peak hours through the lens of bike-sharing is of utmost importance in the optimization of bike-sharing systems and urban transportation planning. This investigation adopts the principles of urban spatial interaction network construction and employs streets as the fundamental units of analysis to model bike-sharing activities during morning and evening peak hours within Beijing's six central districts. Subsequent to this, a comprehensive analysis of the network's structural attributes was carried out. A walktrap method rooted in modularity analysis was introduced to discern and scrutinize the clustering patterns and characteristics of communities within the network across different temporal intervals. Empirical findings reveal a predominant usage pattern of shared bicycles for short-distance travel during both morning and evening peak hours. Notably, distinctive community structures manifest during these periods, characterized by two large communities and multiple smaller ones during the morning peak, while the evening peak showcases a single large community alongside several medium-sized and smaller ones. Moreover, the extended interaction radius points to an expanded geographic range of interactions among streets. These findings bear significant implications for the management of urban transportation, bike-sharing enterprises, and urban residents, proffering valuable insights for the optimization of bike-sharing schemes and transportation strategies.

Panchromatic (PAN) images contain abundant spatial information that is useful for earth observation, but always suffer from low-resolution due to the sensor limitation and large-scale view field. The current super-resolution (SR) methods based on traditional attention mechanism have shown remarkable advantages but remain imperfect to reconstruct the edge details of SR images. To address this problem, an improved super-resolution model which involves the self-attention augmented WGAN is designed to dig out the reference information among multiple features for detail enhancement. We use an encoder-decoder network followed by a fully convolutional network (FCN) as the backbone to extract multi-scale features and reconstruct the HR results. To exploit the relevance between multi-layer feature maps, we first integrate a convolutional block attention module (CBAM) into each skip-connection of the encoder-decoder subnet, generating weighted maps to enhance both channel-wise and spatial-wise feature representation automatically. Besides, considering that the HR results and LR inputs are highly similar in structure, yet cannot be fully reflected in traditional attention mechanism, we therefore design a self augmented attention (SAA) module, where the attention weights are produced dynamically via a similarity function between hidden features, this design allows the network to flexibly adjust the fraction relevance among multi-layer features and keep the long-range inter information, which is helpful to preserve details. In addition, the pixel-wise loss is combined with perceptual and gradient loss to achieve comprehensive supervision. Experiments on benchmark datasets demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms other SR methods in terms of both objective evaluation and visual effect.

DC residential distribution system (RDS) consisted by DC living home will be a significant integral part in the future green transmission. Meanwhile, the increasing number of distributed resources and intelligent devices will change the power flow between main grid and demand sides. The utilization of distributed generations (DGs) requires an economic operation, stability, environmentally friendly in the whole DC system. This paper not only presents an optimization schedule and transactive energy (TE) approach through centralized energy management system (CEMS), but a control approach to implement and ensure DG output voltages to various DC buses in DC RDS. Based on data collection, prediction and a certain objection, the expert system in CEMS can work out the optimization schedule, after this, the voltage droop control for steady voltage is aligned with the command of unit power schedule. In this work, a DC RDS is as a case study to demonstrate the process, the RDS is associated with unit economic models, cost minimization objective is proposed to achieve based on real-time electrical price. The results show that the proposed framework and methods will help the targeted DC residential system to reduce the total cost and reach stability and efficiency.

Body-centered cubic bismuth (Bi) is considered an enticing pressure marker, and therefore it is highly desirable to command its accurate equation of state (EOS). However, significant discrepancies are noted among the previous experimental EOSs. In the present work, the EOS up to 300 GPa is theoretically obtained by direct solving the partition function via a direct integral approach (DIA). The calculated results nearly reproduce the hydrostatic experimental measurements below 75 GPa, and the deviations from the measurements gradually get larger with increasing pressure. Based on the ensemble theory of equilibrium state, DIA works with high precision particularly in high-pressure conditions, so the hydrostatic EOS presented in this work is expected to be a reliable pressure standard.

Super-Resolution Microscopy enables non-invasive, molecule-specific imaging of the internal structure and dynamics of cells with sub-diffraction limit spatial resolution. One of its major limitations is the requirement for high-intensity illumination, generating considerable cellular phototoxicity. This factor considerably limits the capacity for live-cell observations, particularly for extended periods of time. Here, we overview new developments in hardware, software and probe chemistry aiming to reduce phototoxicity. Additionally, we discuss how the choice of biological model and sample environment impacts the capacity for live-cell observations.

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of probiotics in elderly hospitalized tube-fed patients undergoing antibiotic therapy for Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD). Probiotics were administered to 29 patients, with twice-daily doses for 7 days following the completion of antibiotic treatment. In the probiotic group, while stool form showed no significant change, there was a significant decrease in stool frequency. Conversely, the control group exhibited improved stool form but not frequency. The probiotic group maintained a significant difference in stool form during the follow-up period. Additionally, the control group showed a positive correlation between stool form, frequency, antibiotic therapy, and intensive care unit admission, which was not observed in the probiotic group. These findings suggest that supplementing with probiotics can effectively normalize stool form in elderly hospitalized tube-fed patients undergoing antibiotic treatment for CDAD, highlighting the potential benefits of probiotic intervention in this specific population.

The global shrimp farming industry is impacted by various infectious diseases, leading to marked production losses. Virulent Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains (VPAHPND) and other Vibrio species cause acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) in shrimp. We isolated a binary toxin PirA/B-bearing V. campbellii strain (HJ-2023) from a Korean shrimp farm. The biochemical characteristics and antibiotic susceptibility of HJ-2023 were analyzed and compared to those of PirA/B-bearing VPAHPND. Non-AHPND-causing V. campbellii was the control. The pathogenicity of each strain was analyzed in white-leg shrimp. Phylogenetic analysis classified the isolated HJ-2023 strain as V. campbellii. Biochemical tests confirmed distinct properties of HJ-2023, compared to the genetically similar V. harveyi group. The AHPND-causing toxin gene of HJ-2023 showed 100% similarity to the rpoD gene of VCAHPND. An antibiotic disc susceptibility test indicated that HJ-2023 showed resistance to ampicillin, clindamycin, lincomycin, and erythromycin, which is effective against gram-positive bacteria, and showed weak sensitivity to gentamycin. Furthermore, HJ-2023 was 25% less toxic than VPAHPND but could be lethal during aquaculture-related outbreaks. These results highlight the complexity and virulence of AHPND-causing strains through multiple pathways and confirm the pathogenicity of V. campbellii, which increases the risk posed by AHPND to shrimp aquaculture. Our findings could help prevent AHPND.

The rampant misuse of drones poses a serious threat to national security and human life. Currently, the CNN method has been widely used in drone detection. However, there is a challenge that traditional CNN cannot cope with, which is small drone targets often have reduced amplitude or even lost features in infrared images. This paper proposes a Progressive Feature Fusion Network (PFFNet) that gradually increases the response amplitude of the target in the deep network. The Feature Selection Model (FSM) is designed to improve the utilisation of the output coding graph and enhance the feature representation of the target in the network. A lightweight segmentation head is also designed to achieve progressive feature fusion with multi-layer outputs. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve low duration and high accuracy in drone target detection. On the public dataset, the IoU is improved by 2.53% and the detection time is reduced by 81.03%.

In recent years, Malaysia has faced environmental challenges caused by municipal solid waste, especially household waste, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Among all the household waste, plastic and paper are the most prominent waste that causes environmental hazards. Several recycling associations in Malaysia have carried out their practices for better waste sustainability and management to curb the increasing amount of household waste. However, the effectiveness is still vague in achieving smart and effective household waste management. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate Malaysia’s household waste management, mainly in three significant municipalities in Malaysia for Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Melaka, in becoming a resilient and sustainable city by addressing two main research questions 1) What are the key factors for ensuring the more success move for future household waste management in cities? and 2) How will the 3 municipalities address their waste issues based on the key factors from RQ1, respectively? This paper reviewed 13 waste management articles and explores the potential of the four factors of waste management from the perspective of technology and data, economy, social and governance. The discussed factors and models contributed to an integrated future-proofing framework that focuses on smart waste tracking, an gamified awareness education, and strict policies to control waste management are the way forward for the future of smart cities household waste management.

The microsporidium Nosema ceranae is a high prevalent parasite of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera). This parasite is spreading across the world into its novel host. The developmental process and some mechanisms of N. ceranae infected honey bees has been studied thoroughly, however, few studies have been carried out in the mechanism of gene expression in N. ceranae during infection process. We therefore performed suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) approach to investigate the candidate genes of N. ceranae during its infection process. Each 96 clones of infected (forward) and non-infected (reverse) library were dipped onto the membrane for hybridization. A total of 118 differentially expressed sequence tags (ESTs) had been sequenced. For the host responses, 20% of ESTs (13 ESTs, 10 genes and 1 non-coding RNA) from forward library and 83% of ESTs (44 ESTs, 28 genes) from reverse library were identified as differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of the hosts. High percentage of DEGs involved in catalytic activity and metabolic processes, revealed the host gene expression change after N. ceranae infection might lead to the unbalance of physiological mechanism. Among the ESTs from forward library, 75.4% ESTs (49 ESTs belonged to 24 genes) were identified as N. ceranae genes. Of 24 N. ceranae genes, nine DEGs were subjected to real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (real-time qRT-PCR) for validation. The results indicated that these genes showed highly up-regulated during N. ceranae infection. Among nine N. ceranae genes, one N. ceranae gene (AAJ76_1600052943) showed the highest expression level after infection. These identified differentially expressed genes from this SSH could provide information about the pathological effects of N. ceranae. Validation of nine up-regulated N. ceranae genes revealed highly potential for the detection of early nosemosis in the field and provide insight for further applications.

Cordyceps sinensis is one rare medicinal fungus produced in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Its quality and price varies hugely with different habitat, and its numerous substitutes have sprung up in functional food markets. This paper aims to discriminate the geographic origin of wild C. sinensis and its substitutes via the element analyzer-isotope ratio mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry. The δ¹³C values of major fatty acids in the lipids of Cordyceps sinensis are characterized unanimously by the variation relation C_18:0 ﹤ C_18:2 ≈ C_16:0 ﹤ C_18:1; while their fluctuation intervals are notably different between those of neutral and polar lipids. The comparative analysis of the δ¹³C ratios of major fatty acids in lipids of Cordyceps sinensis suggests that the δ¹³C patterns may be sensitive potential indicators to discriminate its geographical origin. The δ¹³C values of individual major fatty acids of lipids from the cultivated stromata of Cordyceps militaris (SCM), the fermented mycelia of Hirsurella sinensis (FMH) and Paecilomyces epiali (FMP) range from −31.2‰ to −29.7‰, −16.9‰ to −14.3‰, and −26.5‰ to −23.9‰, respectively. Their δ¹³C pattern of individual major fatty acids may be used as a potential indicator to discriminate the products of natural C. sinensis and its substitutes.

Background Dietary guidelines typically recommend limiting the intake of fresh red meat, yet evidence linking red meat consumption with adverse health outcomes is inconsistent. Objective To assess the level of evidence from existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses and analyze the association between high consumption of red meat and cancer risk and adverse health outcomes. Methods Eight databases were searched to collect systematic reviews and meta-analyses from database inception to December 2022. Two independent reviewers screened and extracted data and used the AMSTAR 2 tool to evaluate methodological quality of the included studies. Meta-analysis was conducted using STATA 17.0. Results A total of 18 studies were included, of which 5 were rated as high quality, 4 as medium quality, 6 as low quality, and 3 as extremely low quality. Of the 9 SRs/MAs included, primary studies with overlap were identified, and 14 studies were eventually included. The meta-analysis results showed that compared with the lowest intake of red meat, the highest intake of red meat was associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.07-1.37), gastric cancer (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.18-1.59), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (OR 1.10.95% CI 1.02-1.19), stroke (RR 1.11, 95% CI 1.03-1.20), type 2 diabetes (RR 1.19 95% CI 1.04-1.37), and ischemic heart disease (RR 1.09, 95% CI 1.06-1.12), as well as a negative effect on total cholesterol (WMD 0.264, 95% CI 0.144-0.383), triglycerides (WMD -0.181, 95% CI -0.349 to -0.013), low-density lipoprotein (WMD 0.198, 95% CI 0.065-0.330), and high-density lipoprotein (WMD -0.065, 95% CI -0.109 to -0.020). However, the associations with breast cancer (RR 1.05 95% CI 1.00-1.11), glycemic control (WMD 0.040, 95% CI 0.049-0.129), and changes in body weight status [overweight (β 0.89, 95% CI 0.48-1.64); obesity (β 1.06, 95% CI 0.30-3.71)] were not significant. Conclusions This comprehensive umbrella review suggests that high consumption of red meat may increase the risk of colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, and that reducing red meat intake is a key modifiable dietary factor for reducing risk. However, there was no significant correlation with breast cancer, kidney stones, age-related eye disease or changes in body weight.

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), is a notorious migratory pest. After invading China in 2019, the species has established as a year-round breeding population in most of the southern provinces. The area of winter corn in this region has been increasing due to the huge demand of fresh corn consumption which is potentially at risk from this invasive, although S. frugiperda growth and development under changing climate in this region is unclear, particularly the rising temperature during night period. Here we used highest daily temperatures of 27℃, 24℃, 20℃ and night temperatures that were 2℃, 4℃, 6℃ lower giving three daily temperature treatments reflective of winter conditions; GroupⅠ: 27-21℃, 27-23℃, 27-25℃, Group Ⅱ: 24-18℃, 24-20℃, 24-22℃, and Group Ⅲ: 20-14℃, 20-16℃, 20-18℃; to evaluate the effect of increasing night temperature on growth and development of S. frugiperda. Results show that the survival rate of larvae and pupae significantly declined with the daily temperature declining and the night temperature range increasing. Significant developmental effects were observed in all day-night temperature treatment, except for adults, with significant interaction effects for all stages except egg and generation time. Development rate accelerated along with the increasing daily temperature and night temperature, except for the intermediate treatments (Group Ⅱ). The uniformity of pupation and emergence times are higher in high daily temperatures and night temperature. Predictions of FAW development and warnings to local farmers need to be adjusted to take into account the more rapid development. These results will support decision makers to develop long-term management strategies for FAW in southern China.

The retrieval of tree height percentiles with satellite lidar waveforms over the mountainous ar-eas is greatly challenged due to slanted and rugged topographic relief of underlying ground. A novel algorithm is proposed to extract the height percentiles based on the target response waveform (TRW) that is resolved by using a Richardson–Lucy deconvolution algorithm with an adaptive iterative time. The height metrics of the energy percentiles of 25%, 50%, 75% and 95% for the cumulative TRW distribution are determined by their vertical distances relative to the ground elevation in this study. To validate the proposed algorithm, we select the received waveforms of the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) lidar over the Pahvant Mountains of central Utah, USA. The results reveal that the resolved TRWs resemble closely to the actual target response waveforms from the coincident airborne lidar data, with the mean values of the coefficient of correlation, total bias and root mean square error (RMSE) taking val-ue of 0.92, 0.0813 and 0.0016. In addition, the accuracies of the derived height percentiles from the proposed algorithm have been greatly improved compared with the conventional Gaussian de-composition method and the slope-adaptive waveform metrics method. The RMSE values de-crease by the mean values of 1.96 m and 2.72 m, respectively. It demonstrates that the proposed algorithm has good potential in the extraction of forest structure parameter over rugged moun-tainous areas.

Irrigation with water containing a variety of microcystins (MCs) may pose potential threat to normal growth of agricultural plants. The mechanism of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) induced phytotoxicity in rice (Oryza sativa L.) at environmental concentrations is still unknown. Rice seedlings were exposed to MC-LR at concentrations of 0.10, 1.0, 10.0 and 50.0 μg·L−1 in hydroponic nutrient solutions for 7, 15, 20, and 34 days in the current study. The absorption and accumulation in leaf and root tissues, as well as a series of key physio-biochemical process changes in leaves of rice at different exposure time points were measured. Results showed that MC-LR could be detected in rice leaves and roots in all exposure groups, however, a significant accumulation trend of MC-LR in plants (BCF > 1) was only found in the lowest group (0.10 μg·L−1). The time-course study revealed a biphasic response of O2•- levels in rice leaves to the exposure of MC-LR, which was more pronounced in higher concentration groups, which could be attributed to the combined effects of antioxidant and detoxification mechanisms in rice. Exposure to 1.0 - 50.0 μg·L−1 MC-LR resulted in significant depletion of GSH and MDA contents in rice leaves at later exposure times. The changes of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in rice leaves under MC-LR exposure were firstly investigated in the current study. Low MC-LR concentrations promoted NOS activity, whereas high concentrations inhibited NOS activity during the later exposure times, implying that NO may play a role in MC-LR toxicity in rice. Reduced sucrose synthase (SS) activities in rice exposed to MC-LR can reduce the plant's ability to accumulate carbon and thus may be directly related to the reduction in vegetative growth. These findings suggest that even at low concentrations of MC-LR, terrestrial plants' normal physiological status is disrupted, which, when combined with previous findings, helps reveal the mechanism of MC-LR-induced phytotoxicity.

With the advent of deep learning, significant progress has been made in low-light image enhancement methods. However, deep learning requires enormous paired training data, which is challenging to capture in real-world scenarios.To address this limitation, this paper presents a novel unsupervised low-light image enhancement method, which first introduces the frequency domain features of images in low-light image enhancement tasks. Our work is inspired by imagining a digital image as a spatially varying metaphoric “field of light”, then subjecting the influence of physical processes such as diffraction and coherent detection back onto the original image space via a frequency-domain to spatial-domain transformation (inverse Fourier transform). However, the mathematical model created by this physical process still requires complex manual tuning of the parameters for different scene conditions to achieve the best adjustment. Therefore, we proposed a dual-branch convolution network to estimate pixel-wise and high-order spatial interactions for dynamic range adjustment of the frequency feature of the given low-light image. Guided by the frequency feature from the “field of light” and parameter estimation networks, our method enables dynamic enhancement of low-light images. Extensive experiments have shown that our method performs well compared to state-of-the-art unsupervised, and its performance approximates the level of the state-of-the-art supervised methods qualitatively and quantitatively. At the same time, the light network structure design allows the proposed method to have an extremely fast inference speed(nearly 150 FPS on an NVIDIA 3090 Ti GPU for an image of size 600×400×3 ). Furthermore, the potential benefits of our method to object detection in the dark are discussed.

The plate embedded with acoustic black hole (ABH) indentations is potential for structural vibration and noise control. This work focuses on the mid- and low-frequency performance of plates embedded with the array of ABH for energy focalization and vibration &amp; noise suppression. Plates embedded with two-dimensional ABHs are modelled with detailed Finite Element (FE) models, and the power flow method is introduced to analyze the energy propagation characteristics arising from ABH effect. Then the distribution of average vibration power density along ABH radius is studied. Next, the energy dissipation effects of the plate model embedded with ABH array with two types of damping layers are investigated. Finally, the sound pressure levels of the ABH structure are calculated and discussed. This work is helpful to understand the characteristics of plates embedded with ABH array in reducing vibration and noise radiation. Results show the tremendous potential of ABH array for vibration and noise control.

To evaluate the efficacy of fish oil for protection against coronary heart disease (CHD), we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the use of fish oil for protection against CHD. We retrieved relevant articles published from January 1966 to January 2020 by searching the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Web of Science databases. RCTs of fish oil in preventing CHD were selected. The study quality was evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool with RevMan 5.3 software. The first selection involved 350 citations. After screening and evaluation of suitability, 19 RCTs adjusted for clustering were included in the meta-analysis. All selected manuscripts considered that fish oil was effective in preventing CHD, secondary outcome measures included angina, sepsis and death. Compared with the control group, fish oil may confer significant protection against CHD (odds ratio = 0.84; 95% confidence interval: 0.72–0.98). There was no significant difference in the incidence of secondary outcomes between the observation group and the control group (P > 0.05). The above results show that fish oil plays an important role in reducing CHD and cardiovascular events. However, because of the suboptimal quality of the studies included into the meta-analysis, these results do not justify adding fish oils systematically to the heavy pharmaceutical assortment already recommended in CHD patients.

Graphite carbon nitride (g-C3N4) supported PtNi alloy nanoparticles (NPs) were fabricated via a facile and simple impregnation and chemical reduction method and explored their catalytic performance towards hydrogen evolution from ammonia borane (AB). Interestingly, the resultant Pt_0.5Ni₀.5/g-C₃N₄ catalyst affords superior performance, including 100% conversion, 100% H₂ selectivity, yielding the extraordinary initial total turnover frequency (TOF) of 250.8 mol_H2 min^-1 (mol_Pt)^-1 for hydrogen evolution from AB at 10 °C, a relatively low activation energy of 38.09 kJ mol⁻¹, and a remarkable reusability (at least 10 times), which surpass most of the noble metal heterogeneous catalysts. This notably improved activity is attributed to the charge interaction between PtNi NPs and g-C₃N₄ support. Especially, the nitrogen-containing functional groups on g-C₃N₄, serving as the anchoring sites for PtNi NPs, may be beneficial for becoming a uniform distribution and decreasing the particle size for the NPs. Our work not only provides a cost-effective route for constructing high-performance catalysts towards the hydrogen evolution of AB but also prompts the utilization of g-C₃N₄ in energy fields.

Rapid analysis and characterization of compounds by mass spectrometry may overlook trace compounds, although targeted analysis methods can significantly improve detection sensitivity, it is difficult to discover novel scaffold compounds. This study developed a strategy for discovering trace compounds in the aging process of traditional Chinese medicine based on MS fragmentation and known metabolic pathway. Specifically, we found that the characteristic component of C. reticulata 'Chachi', methyl N-methylanthranilate (MMA), fragmented in ESI-CID to produce rearrangement ion 3-hydroxyindole, which has been proven to exist in trace amounts in C. reticulata 'Chachi' comparing with the reference substance by LC-MS/MS. By combining the known metabolic pathways of 3-hydroxyindole and the possible methylation reactions that may occur during aging, 10 possible indole derivatives were untargeted predicted. These compounds were confirmed to originate from MMA by purchasing or synthesizing reference substances and all of them were detected in C. reticulata 'Chachi' through LC-MS/MS analysis, achieving trace compound analysis from untargeted to targeted. It may contribute to explain the aging mechanism of C. reticulata 'Chachi' and the strategy of CID-induced special rearrangement ion binding metabolic pathway has potential application value in discovering trace compounds.

With more and more transportation tunnels have been and will be constructed in loess areas in Northwest China with high earthquake potential, the overall stability of portal section under earthquakes actions and the related aseismic countermeasures attracted the attentions from both the scholars and engineers, especially the tunnels in the upper slope connecting the high bridges crossing rivers or valleys. In order to study the dynamic response characteristics and damage evolution of steep loess slope with a tunnel under the earthquake actions, a large-scale shaking table tests were performed on steep loess slope with a tunnel. Wenchuan-tangyu (WT) wave and El Centro (El) wave records were applied on the model to investigate the displacement response and acceleration response of loess slope with a tunnel under the horizontal (X) and the combined action of horizontal and vertical (X-Z) seismic loads, respectively. In particular, three-dimensional non-contact optical measurement techniques were used to obtain the slope surface displacements. The results showed that the main deformation pattern of the slope was horizontal movement and settlement when the seismic wave input was in the X and X-Z directions, respectively. However, the X direction seismic wave had a greater impact on the deformation of the slope, and the tunnel portal slope was destroyed under the action of a large horizontal seismic acceleration finally. Slope failure ahead of a tunnel could be divided into four stages, i.e. elastic deformation stage, plastic deformation accumulation stage, local failure stage, and overall failure stage. The peak ground displacement of X direction (PGDX) and peak ground displacement of Z direction (PGDZ) of the slope surface increased with the increasing of the input peak ground acceleration (PGA) when the input wave was same waveform and same direction. The existence of the tunnel had a great influence on the PGA and the PGA amplification factor (PGAAF) of the soil mass surrounding it. This was because the seismic waves encounter a tunnel surface with clear differences in the physical properties of the medium during their propagation in the slope, thereby forming a strong reflection and refraction effect, and the amplitude changed significantly. Numerical simulation results were basically consistent with the experimental results.

This experiment aimed to investigate the impact of malic acid (MA) and citric acid (CA) on the nutritional composition, fermentation quality, rumen degradation rate, and microbial diversity of a mixture of apple pomace and corn protein powder during ensiling. The experiment used apple pomace and corn protein powder as raw materials, with four groups: control group (CON), malic acid treatment group (MA, 10g/kg), citric acid treatment group (CA, 10g/kg), and citric acid + malic acid treatment group (MA, 10g/kg + CA, 10g/kg), subjected to mixed ensiling for 60 days. The results indicated: (1) Compared to the CON group, the crude protein content significantly increased in the MA, CA, and MA+CA groups (p < 0.05), with the highest content observed in the MA+CA group. The addition of MA and CA effectively reduced the water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content (p < 0.05). Simultaneously, the CA group showed a decreasing trend in NDFom and hemicellulose content (p = 0.08; p = 0.09). (2) Compared to the CON group, the pH significantly decreased in the MA, CA, and MA+CA groups (p < 0.01), and the three treatment groups exhibited a significant increase in lactic acid and acetic acid content (p < 0.01). The quantity of lactic acid bacteria increased significantly (p < 0.01), with the MA+CA group showing a more significant increase than the MA and CA groups (p < 0.05). (3) Compared to the CON group, the in situ dry matter disappearance (ISDMD) significantly increased in the MA, CA, and MA+CA groups (p < 0.05). All three treatment groups showed highly significant differences in in situ crude protein disappearance (ISCPD) compared to the CON group (p < 0.01). (4) Good's Coverage for all experimental groups was greater than 0.99, meeting the conditions for subsequent sequencing. Compared to the CON group, the Shannon index significantly increased in the CA group (P < 0.01), and the Simpson index increased significantly in the MA group (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the Chao index among the three treatment groups and the CON group (p > 0.05). At the genus level, the abundance of Lentilactobacillus in the MA, CA, and MA+CA groups was significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.05). PICRUSt prediction results indicated that the metabolic functional microbial groups in the CA and MA treatment groups were significantly higher than in the CON group (p < 0.05), suggesting that the addition of MA or CA could reduce the loss of nutritional components such as protein and carbohydrates in mixed ensilage. In conclusion, the addition of malic acid and citric acid to a mixture of apple pomace and corn protein powder during ensiling reduces nutritional losses, improves fermentation quality and rumen degradation rate, enhances the diversity of the microbial community in ensiled feed, and improves microbial structure. The combined addition of malic acid and citric acid demonstrates a superior effect.

Influenced by the quasi-stationary Mei-yu front and the development of mesoscale low vortices on the Mei-yu front, a torrential rain event occurred in Suzhou on July 6, 2020. The 24-hour rainfall recorded by the automatic station exceeded 200 millimeters, with the highest hourly intensity surpassing 70 millimeters, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds. This heavy precipitation process was characterized by suddenness, extremity, long duration, high precipitation efficiency, and backward propagation. Using various data sources such as the European ERA5 reanalysis data, ground-based automatic stations, sounding, Doppler weather radar, and wind profile radar, this paper analyzed in detail the circulation characteristics and radar echo structures of this torrential rain event, and further studied the triggering, feature evolution, and maintenance mechanisms of the heavy precipitation.The results show: (1) The continuously strengthening low-level jet stream propagates downward forming an ultra-low-level jet stream. Heavy precipitation is located on the left front side of the jet exit area, where strong convergence and lifting in the boundary layer overlap with the ascending branch of the secondary circulation above the shear line, resulting in heavy precipitation. (2) A supercell storm with intense precipitation produced this heavy rainfall event, characterized by a low centroid of strong echo; echo-free vault, bounded weak echo region, and other supercell structural features. During this event, the high reflectivity factor areas corresponded to high KDP value areas, indicating a large amount of liquid water content. Vertically, the KDP column can track the rainwater mixing ratio well, and its location corresponds to the vicinity of the short-term heavy precipitation occurrence. The high KDP value area mainly consists of numerous precipitation particles, and the vertical vortex wind field structure causes rapid growth of precipitation particles through continuous rolling. Furthermore, it can be found through correlation coefficients (CC) that there are always high-value areas for CC since they correspond to areas of intense precipitation. (3) Continuous triggering of mesoscale convective cloud clusters on the east-west ground convergence line leads to new development and forms a "train effect." Strong frontogenesis in both horizontal and vertical directions triggers and sustains this heavy precipitation event. The significant increase in liquid water and water vapor density has indicative significance for the occurrence of heavy precipitation.

Noctuidae is known to have high species diversity, although the genomic diversity of Noctuidae species have not been studied extensively. Investigation of transposable elements (TEs) in this family can improve our understanding on the genomic diversity of Noctuidae. In this study, we annotated and characterized genome-wide TEs in ten noctuid species belonging to seven genera. With multiple annotation pipelines, we constructed a consensus sequence library containing 1,038 –2,826 TE consensus. The genome content of TEs showed high variation in the ten Noctuidae genomes, ranging from 11.3% to 45.0%. The relatedness analysis indicated that the TE content, especially the content of LINEs and DNA transposons, are positively correlated with the genome size (r=0.86, p-value=0.001). We identified SINE/B2 as a lineage-specific subfamily in Trichoplusia ni, a species-specific expansion of LTR/Gypsy subfamily in Spodoptera exigua, and a recent expansion of SINE/5S subfamily in Busseola fusca. We further revealed that of the four TE classes, only LINEs showed phylogenetic signal with high confidence. We also examined how the expansion of TEs contributed to the evolution of noctuid genomes. Moreover, we identified a total of 56 horizontal transfer TE (HTT) events among the ten noctuid species and at least three HTT events between the nine Noctuidae species and 11 non-noctuid arthropods. One of HTT events caused by a Gypsy transposon might have caused the recent expansion of Gypsy subfamily in the S.exigua genome. By determining the TE content, dynamics, and HTT events in the Noctuidae genomes, our study emphasized that TE activities and HTT events had substantial impacts on the Noctuidae genome evolution.

The current study aimed to investigate the antitumor effects and potent mechanism of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells combined with irreversible electroporation (IRE) via an in vitro function assay in an in vivo Panc02 cell–bearing mouse model. We established an in vitro culture assay for CIK cells and determined the proportions of different peripheral lymphocytes. The antitumor effect of the combination of IRE and CIK cells in a Panc02 pancreatic-cancer (PC) subcutaneous-xenograft model was investigated; tumor size and mouse survival rates were recorded. We used flow cytometry (FCM) to analyze the proportion of intratumoral lymphocytes, the expression of chemokine receptors, and the proliferative activity of CIK cells. The proportion of cells that were positive for clusters of differentiation 3 and 8 (CD3+CD8+) and the proportion of CD3+CD56+ cells were both significantly increased after 21 days of in vitro culture. Combined IRE/CIK cell treatment significantly inhibited tumor growth and increased the survival rate of Panc02 cell–bearing mice. Furthermore, infiltration of lymphocytes into tumor tissue was significantly increased by this combination therapy compared with the untreated group or monotherapy group. In addition, IRE significantly enhanced the expression of chemokine receptors elicited by, and the proliferative activity of, CIK cells. In conclusion, IRE combined with CIK cells showed superior antitumor efficacy in a PC subcutaneous-xenograft model, which we attributed to the promotion of lymphocytic infiltration, as well as to upregulation of chemokine receptor expression and of regulators of CIK cell proliferation.

Abstract: Tumor-targeting and blood-brain barrier (BBB)-penetrating are highly desirable for the treatment of glioma. In this study, we developed Pep-1&borneol-bifunctionalized carmustin-loaded micelles (Pep-1/Bor/CMS-M) capable of targeting to IL-13 receptor-overexpressed glioma and penetrating the brain microvascular endothelial cells-associated physiologic barriers. Pep-1/Bor/CMS-M were nearly spherical particles with a dimeter of 32.6 ± 1.1 nm and zeta potential of -21.3 ± 3.1 mV. Carmustine (CMS) released from Pep-1/Bor/CMS-M in pH 7.4 was significantly faster than in acidic environments. In human glioma BT325 cellular studies, Pep-1/Bor/CMS-M remarkably increased the cytotoxicity, notably improved the internalization and effectively induced the cell apoptosis. Likewise, in human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC) cells, Pep-1/Bor/CMS-M obviously promoted the cellular uptake, rapidly decreased the transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and thereby of enhancing the ability of penetration. In orthotopic Luc-BT325 glioma tumor-bearing nude mouse models, the stronger fluorescence signal and longer retention were observed in brain tissues compared with other controls, after single administration of DiD-labelled Pep-1/Bor/M (DiD/Pep-1/Bor/M). Importantly, Pep-1/Bor/CMS-M displayed the strongest inhibition of tumor growth, the longest survival period and low systemic toxicity in treating orthotopic glioma tumor-bearing nude mice. Simultaneous functionalization of Pep-1 and borneol offers a novel strategy for designing CMS-based nanomedicine and precisely treating glioma.

Accurate determination of protein localization, levels, or protein-protein interactions is pivotal for the study of their function, and in situ protein labeling via homologous recombination has emerged as a critical tool in many organisms. While this approach has been refined in various model fungi, the study of protein function in most plant pathogens has predominantly relied on ex-situ or overexpression manipulations. To dissect the molecular mechanisms of development and infection for Verticillium dahliae, a formidable plant pathogen responsible for vascular wilt diseases, we have established a robust, homologous recombination-based in situ protein labeling strategy in this organism. Utilizing Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT), this methodology facilitates the precise tagging of specific proteins at their C-termini with epitopes, such as GFP and Flag, within the native context of V. dahliae. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach through the in situ labeling of VdCf2 and VdDMM2, followed by subsequent confirmation via subcellular localization and protein-level analyses. Our findings confirm the applicability of homologous recombination for in situ protein labeling in V. dahliae and suggest its potential utility across a broad spectrum of filamentous fungi. This labeling method stands to significantly advance the field of functional genomics in plant pathogenic fungi, offering a versatile and powerful tool for the elucidation of protein function.

Abstract Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder featured with motor and non-motor deficits. Using 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) induced dopamine neuron degeneration has been widely used to produce reliable animal models of the PD. However, most of previous preclinical studies focused on the motor dysfunctions, few non-motor symptoms were evaluated. So far there is a lack of comprehensive investigation of the non-motor symptoms in animal models. Objectives: In this study, we aim to use a battery of behavioral methods to evaluate the non-motor symptoms in MPTP-induced non-human primate PD models. Methods: Cognitive functions, sleep and psychiatric behaviors were evaluated in MPTP-treated cynomolgus monkeys. The tests consisted of delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS), physical activity monitor (PAM), apathy feeding task (AFT), human intruder test (HIT), novel fruit test (NFT) and predator confrontation test (PCT). In addition, we tested whether the dopamine receptor agonist pramipexole (PPX) will improve these non-motor symptoms. Results: The present results show that the MPTP-treated monkeys exhibited cognitive deficits, abnormal sleep, and anxiety-like behaviors as compared to the control monkeys. These symptoms were relieved partially by PPX. Conclusions: These results suggest that MPTP-induced PD monkeys displayed non-motor symptoms that were similar to those found in PD patients. PPX treatment showed moderate therapeutic effects on these non-motor symptoms. This battery of behavioral tests may provide a valuable model for future preclinical research.

In the process of metal cutting, the anti-wear performance of the tool determines the life of the tool and affects the surface quality of the workpiece. The finite element simulation method can directly show the tool wear state and morphology, but due to the limitations of the simulation time and complex boundary conditions, it has not been commonly used in tool life prediction. Based on this, a tool wear model was established on the platform of a finite element simulation software for the cutting process of titanium alloy TC4 by end milling. The key technique is to embed different types of tool wear models into the finite element model in combination with the consequent development technology. The effectiveness of the tool wear model is validated by comparing the experimental results with the simulation results. At the same time, in order to quickly predict the tool life, an empirical prediction formula of tool wear was established, and the change course of tool wear under time change was obtained.

A one-pot, one-step protocol combining hydrogen transfer initiated dehydration (HTID) of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO), catalysed by [Cp*IrCl2(NHC)] (Cp* = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl; NHC = carbene ligand) complexes (1-5H and 1-3F), and self-aldol condensation (SAC) of propanal (2), allowed selective production of aldehyde 2-methyl-pent-2-enal (3), in ionic liquids with high substrate conversion. The Ir(III) pre-catalysts, and the ionic liquids, were recyclable. 3 could also be selectively produced in the presence of water, and in neat 1,3-PDO. The efficient, selective delivery of a value-added chemical from 1,3-PDO, a major product of many whole cell bacterial fermentation processes, shows that the combination of chemo-catalytic processing of the chemical platform via Cp*IrCl2(NHC) - catalysed HTID / SAC with bio-catalysis has the potential to allow direct valorisation of the bio-renewable feedstocks, such as waste glycerol and sugars, into valuable chemicals.

This is a brief critique of the functions—particularly olfactory functions—specified for the “Chemosensory Protein” (CSPs) molecule family. On the basis of these proteins’ presence in the sensory antennal lymph of locusts, odor chemosensory ligand binding functions have been hypothesized. According to this hypothesis, the entire protein molecule superfamily is referred to as “CSPs”. However, new information and developments in the field of CSP molecular research, such as the expression of CSP genes in the gut, brain, fat body, epidermis, and pheromone gland, as well as gene expression profiling from most early developmental stages—that is, CSP expression well in advance of the appearance of chemical sense nerve cells—strongly suggest that the protein molecule has other roles that are unrelated to chemosensing. Moreover, CSPs are found in bacterial microbial prokaryote organisms in addition to insects. Thus, we examine the molecule’s name, definition, RNA editing, protein structure, lipid binding properties, DNA interaction, and evolutionary characteristics in brief before referring to this protein family as “Chemosensory Proteins”. This article tries to compel and discuss the most recent information as a way to rename this protein family. Because of its highly conserved molecular distinctive feature (four adjacent cysteines), we propose renaming “CSPs” as “4CSPs” (4 Cysteines Soluble Proteins).

Prunus tenella is a rare and precious relict plant in China. It is an important genetic resource for almond improvement and an indispensable material in ecological protection and landscaping. However, the research of molecular breeding and genetic evolution has been severely restricted, due to the lack of genome information. In this investigation, we created a chromosome-level genomic pattern of P. tenella, 231Mb in length with a contig N50 of 18.1 Mb by Hi-C techniques and high-accuracy PacBio HiFi sequencing. The present assembly predicted 32088 protein-coding genes, and an examination of the genome assembly indicated that 94.7% among all assembled transcripts were alignable to the genome assembly; most (97.24%) were functionally annotated. By phylogenomic genome comparison, we found that P. tenella is an ancient group that diverged approximately 13.4 million years ago (Mya) from 13 additional closely related species and about 6.5 Mya from the cultivated almond. Collinearity analysis revealed that P. tenella is highly syntenic and has high sequence conservation with almond and peach. However, this species also exhibit many presence/absence variants. Moreover, a large inversion at the 7,588 kb position of chromosome 5 was observed, which may have a significant association with phenotypic traits. Lastly, population genetic structure analysis in eight different populations indicated a high genetic differentiation among the natural distribution of P. tenella. This high-quality genome assembly provides critical clues and comprehensive information for the systematic evolution, genetic characteristics, and functional gene research of P. tenella. Moreover, it provides a valuable genomic resource for in-depth study in protecting, developing, and utilizing P. tenella germplasm resources.

Aero-fuel centrifugal pumps are important power plants in aero-engines. Unlike most of the existing centrifugal pumps, a combination impeller is integrated with the pump to improve its performance. First, the critical geometrical parameters of combination impeller and volute are given. Then, the effects of combination impeller on flow characteristics inside the impeller and volute are clarified by comparing simulation results with that of the conventional impeller, where the effectiveness of selected numerical method is validated by an acceptable agreement between simulation and experiment. Finally, the experiment is performed to test the external performance of studied pump. A significant feature of this study is that the flow characteristics are significantly ameliorated by reducing the flow losses emerged in impeller inlet, impeller outlet and volute tongue. Correspondingly, the head and efficiency of combination impeller are higher with comparison to conventional impeller. Consequently, it is a promising approach in ameliorating flow field and improving external performance by applying a combination impeller to an aero-fuel centrifugal pump.

In light of the current situation where no testing equipment is available for measuring thermal deformation of objects, this paper proposes a novel method for accurate and precise measurement. The method overcomes the limitations of previous approaches that relied on pitch angle. By utilizing the principle of biplane multiple reflections, a bivariate laser spot displacement analysis algorithm is devised to attain highly precise measurements of bivariate angles. Additionally, a temperature gradient comparison algorithm is introduced to calculate the indicator test results under specific temperature conditions. To validate the effectiveness and reliability of this method, a testing system is constructed and utilized. The results demonstrate that the thermal deformation angle change test achieves an impressive accuracy of 0.015″ and a rate of thermal deformation angle change of 0.3247″/°C. These values are in close agreement with the previously simulated analysis result of 0.359″/°C, with only a relative error of 9.55%. Therefore, the test results confirm the efficacy and reliability of this testing method along with the feasibility of the algorithm processing.

MicroRNA plays a critical role in regulating gene expression post-transcriptionally. Variations in mature microRNA sequences, known as isomiRs, arise from imprecise cleavage and nucleotide substitution or addition. These isomiRs can target different mRNAs or compete with their canonical counterparts, thereby expanding the scope of miRNA post-transcriptional regulation. Our study investigated the relationship between cis-acting single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in precursor miRNA regions and isomiR composition, represented by the ratio of a specific 5’-isomiR subtype to all isomiRs identified for a particular mature miRNA. Significant associations between 95 SNP-isomiR pairs were identified. Of note, rs6505162 was significantly associated with both 5’-extension of hsa-miR-423-3p and 5’-trimming of hsa-miR-423-5p. Comparison of breast cancer and normal samples revealed that expression of both isomiRs was significantly higher in tumors than in normal tissues. This study sheds light on the genetic regulation of isomiR maturation and advances our understanding of post-transcriptional regulation by microRNA.

Fifteen new diterpenoids, namely xishaklyanes A-O (1-15), along with three known related ones (16-18), were isolated from the soft coral Klyxum molle collected from Xisha Islands, South China Sea. The stereochemistry of the new compounds were elucidated by a combination of detailed spectroscopic analyses, chemical syntheses, quantum chemical calculations and comparison with the reported data. The absolute configuration of compound 18 was established by the modified Mosher's method for the first time. In bioassay, some of these compounds exhibited considerable antibacterial activities on fish pathogenic bacteria, and compound 4 showed the most effective activity with MIC of 0.225 g/mL against Lactococcus garvieae.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic, progressive and fatal disease of the interstitial lung， there still lack of efficient therapy to reverse the prognosis of patients currently. In this study, a fucoidan from Costaria costata was isolated and its anti-idiopathic fibrosis activity was investigated both in vitro and in vivo. The chemical composition analysis results show that Costaria costata polysaccharide (CCP) is consisting of galactose and fucose as the main monosaccharides with a sulfate group content of 18.54%. The results found that CCP could resist TGF-β1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in A549 cells by inhibiting the TGF-β/Smad and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathways. In vivo data found that CCP treatment alleviated bleomycin (BLM)-stimulated fibrosis and inflammation in mice lung tissue. This study suggests that CCP could protect the lung from fibrosis by relieving the EMT process and inflammation in lung cells.

The Danxia landform area of Jingbian Wave Valley is located in the central part of Ordos Basin. The near-red Danxia landform consisting of sandstone in this area is a new discovery in geological circles at home and abroad, and its depositional age and genesis remain a hot topic of discussion at present. As the material basis for its development, red sandstone is of great importance to the in-depth study on its formation date and origin. The paper explores the origin, tectonic significance and paleogeographic pattern of the red sandstone through field geological investigation and zircon U-Pb dating analysis of the red sandstone of the Luohe Formation. The results show that the original materials of the red sandstone was formed in three main age intervals, 252~456 Ma, 1657~2084 Ma, and 2129~2538 Ma, and regional tectonothermal events in the origin area during the three periods were recorded, among which the events in Mesoproterozoic and Paleoproterozoic periods were the most active. The comparative analysis of zircon U-Pb age spectra shows that for the sediment of red sandstone, the early origin is near-origin and late origin is distant-origin. The main origin areas in the study area are the Xingmeng orogenic belt, the North China massif and the Alashan massif; the vertical section reflects that the origin area has the strongest erosion and transport in the upper deposition period, the smallest erosion and transport in the middle deposition period, and the moderate erosion and transport in the lower deposition period. With origins system dominated by the northern origins and the paleogeographic pattern of multi-period and cyclonic, the area mainly experienced four tectonic movement cycles, such as Wutai, Lvliang, Caledon and Haixi.