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Metaverse platforms have become increasingly prevalent for collaboration in virtual environments. Metaverse platforms, as opposed to virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality, expand with enhanced social meanings within virtual worlds. The research object in this study is the chime bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng, one of China's most treasured cultural heritage sites. We aimed to create a metaverse platform for the chime bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng to provide visitors with a highly immersive and interactive experience. First, we collected the materials and data of the chime bells and other exhibits, as well as historical information. Then, the data were processed and integrated for 3D model reconstruction. In addition, we designed the virtual roaming system through which visitors could interact with the exhibits to obtain multimedia information and even knock to ring the chime bells. Finally, we built our system to connect multiple visitors in different geographic locations and encourage them to collaborate and communicate within the virtual space. This platform helps users visualize cultural heritage, simulates real-life tour experiences with intuitive manners of interaction, and motivates visitors' interest in traditional culture. This research also reveals the potential use of metaverse-related techniques in cultural heritage sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, we studied the effects of different oligosaccharides on Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC14917, focusing on growth and adhesion characteristics and fermented milk flavor. The results showed that mannan-oligosaccharide (MOS) had the greatest proliferative effect on L. plantarum ATCC14917 in vitro. In terms of adhesive properties, the autoaggregation rate of L. plantarum cultured in MOS was 23.76%, adhesion to mucin was 24.65%, and adhesion to Caco-2 cells was 14.71%. These results for L. plantarum cultured with MOS were higher than those for L. plantarum cultured in fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) or galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS). Furthermore, the surface consistency and viscosity scores of fermented milk of the MOS group was higher than that of milks cultured with FOS or GOS, although MOS had the lowest scores for fermented milk flavor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is a sensitive detection technology. Commercial ECL analyzer democratizes ECL as a convenient tool for clinical immunoassay. Still, commercial DNA ECL detection kits are absent, because oligonucleotide-based ECL probes often lack double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) recognition capability and specificity. In this study, we harnessed CRISPR/dCas9 as a universal electrochemiluminescence (ECL) probe for sensitive and single-base-specific DNA detection. Benefiting from the unique characteristics of Cas9, including flexible programmability, dsDNA binding ability and high specificity, the dCas9-ECL probe can directly recognize dsDNA amplification products under constant and mild conditions, and provide higher signal-to-background ratio. Experimental results demonstrated our method can detect 38 cfu‧mL-1 genome of Listeria monocytogenes. Only changing the targeting region of the sgRNA, the probe can be employed to detect 0.1 pg‧μL-1 EGFR L858R mutant with a mutation discrimination selectivity factor of 0.01%. Moreover, the dCas9-ECL probe can be used for DNA detection in complex samples (e.g. milk & cell extracts). In conclusion, the dCas9-ECL probe could be formed into a universal DNA detection kit and be compatible with automated and high-throughput ECL immunoassay analyzers, thus holds a certain application potential in pathogen detection and gene typing. • We first developed a dCas9-ECL probe for sensitive and single-base-specific DNA analysis. • The dCas9-ECL probe is compatible with commercial immunoassay analyzer. • The dCas9-ECL probe can exclude the interference of non-specific amplification products. • A detection limit of 0.1 pg/μL genome of Listeria monocytogenes can be achieved. • The dCas9-ECL probe can dramatically differentiate EGFR L858R mutant from the wild-type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the ability of resource treatment of black smelly river sediment to reduce life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and its environmental benefits were calculated using the US EPA life-cycle assessment (LCA) model. Different from previous studies, this paper used the willingness-to-pay method to determine the weight factors of various environmental impact types in this study and proposed a calculation model of carbon emissions and environmental benefits in the whole process of resource utilization of sediment, rather than a new method to treat black smelly river sediment. Take the Qingxi River sediment treatment and recycling project in Dongguan, China, as an example: the carbon reduction, environmental impact, and environmental benefit of different stages of sediment treatment are calculated. The results show that 93.419 kg of carbon dioxide, 0.202 kg of methane, and 0.001 kg of nitrous oxide are produced for 1 t of river sediment, in which the preparation process of unburned brick contributes 99% of carbon dioxide, 82.67% of methane, and 100% of nitrous oxide emissions and is the stage that produces the most greenhouse gases. The 1 t of sediment resource treatment can reduce the generation of 29.066 kg carbon dioxide and 0.855 kg of methane. The comprehensive net environmental benefit of processing 1 t of river sediment is 1.492 yuan, and the environmental benefit is 1.684 times the environmental cost. This study identified that the treatment and recycling of river sediment has better environmental benefits. The preparation process of unburned brick can be optimized to further reduce carbon emissions and produce better environmental benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Labor shortage and low labor productivity are critical issues in the construction industry. Robotics, as a powerful technology to improve productivity in the digitization era, is being used to assist in addressing these problems. Particularly in recent years, interest in construction robotics research has risen remarkably. To gain a deeper understanding of this burgeoning research field, this study provides a bibliometric analysis of 498 related papers retrieved from WoS (Web of Science). Performance analysis and science mapping were used in the paper to identify the research trends, relationship among authors, top publication sources, regional activities, as well as knowledge base and dominant research sub-fields. The results indicated that the number of papers focusing on construction robotics has been continuously growing since 2013. "Automation," "system," and "design" have been the most addressed topics in construction robotics. The findings are indicative of identifying the deficiencies in existing research and provide directions for future research. Those include greater attention paid to the experimental results of on-site construction robots, while ignoring the impacts of practical construction situations, and the development of off-site construction robots needs more support. For theoretical research, there is a lack of studies on human–robot collaboration workflow and management models. Therefore, the study would be valuable in providing practitioners and researchers with a better perspective on the development of construction robotics and facilitating the building of the intellectual wealth of robotics in the construction industry. Our study analyzed 498 papers related to construction robotics from 1974 to 2022 through bibliometric approaches (mathematical and statistical methods). The study counted the numbers of construction robotics papers by year, identified most active scholars and top publication sources, and analyzed the relationship among regions. Most importantly, the paper identified the knowledge base of the research field of construction robotics and reviewed various relevant studies from theoretical and practical application perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ranging accuracy of pulsed time-of-flight (TOF) lidar is affected by walk error and jitter error. To solve the issue, the balanced detection method (BDM) based on fiber delay optic lines (FDOL) is proposed. The experiments are carried out to prove the performance improvement of BDM over the conventional single photodiode method (SPM). The experimental results show that BDM can suppress common mode noise and simultaneously shift the signal to high frequency, which reduces the jitter error by approximately 52.4% and maintains the walk error at less than 300 ps with a non-distorted waveform. The BDM can be further applied to silicon photomultipliers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triptolide (TP) is the principal bioactive compound of Tripterygium wilfordii with significant anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activities. However, its severe hepatotoxicity greatly limits its clinical use. The underlying mechanism of TP-induced liver damage is still poorly understood. Here, we estimate the role of the gut microbiota in TP hepatotoxicity and investigate the bile acid metabolism mechanisms involved. The results of the antibiotic cocktail (ABX) and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) experiment demonstrate the involvement of intestinal flora in TP hepatotoxicity. Moreover, TP treatment significantly perturbed gut microbial composition and reduced the relative abundances of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG). Supplementation with LGG reversed TP-induced hepatotoxicity by increasing bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity and reducing the increased conjugated bile acids (BA). LGG supplementation upregulates hepatic FXR expression and inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation in TP-treated mice. In summary, this study found that gut microbiota is involved in TP hepatotoxicity. LGG supplementation protects mice against TP-induced liver damage. The underlying mechanism was associated with the gut microbiota-BA-FXR axis. Therefore, LGG holds the potential to prevent and treat TP hepatotoxicity in the clinic. [Display omitted] • Gut microbiota is involved in TP-induced liver injury. • LGG supplementation could ameliorates TP hepatotoxicity. • LGG-mediated BA metabolism plays a vital role in TP hepatotoxicity. • The protective role of LGG in TP hepatotoxicity by regulating the BA-FXR Axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the stabilization effect of a new soil stabilizer based on mineral powder, lime powder, dihydrate gypsum, and sodium hydroxide on the residue of construction waste (RCW). The performance of the residue solidified soil (RSS) with different ratios of stabilizer was analyzed both macroscopically and microscopically, in air and water environments.The experiment indicates that the optimal composition of the new stabilizer for specimen a7 consists of 85 % mineral powder, 3 % sodium hydroxide, and 12 % dihydrate gypsum. The water stability coefficients of specimens a3-a10 are all greater than 80 %.The performance of RSS meets the requirements of the Technical standard for application of soil stabilizer (CJJ/T286- 2018) and the technical specificatiopn for application of road solidified soil (T/CECS 737–2020). Therefore, the RSS designed and prepared in this study is a material with sufficient strength that can be used for urban road subbase layers. From a microscopic perspective, the generation of a large amount of ettringite crystals and C-S-H gel is the main reason for the increase in compressive strength of stabilized soil as it ages.The cost benefit analysis of the RSS that meets the strength requirements is carried out. The performance and cost of the RSS is also compared with the ones solidified by Portland cement and sulphoaluminate cement. From the economic point of view, most of the raw materials of the new soil stabilizer are cheap and easy to obtain, and the cost of the new soil stabilizer is much lower than that of Portland cement and sulphoaluminate cement, therefore the RSS should have strong market competitiveness. • We prepare a new soil stabilizer to solidify the residue of construction waste. • We compare performances with the ones solidified by other cement. • The residue solidification soil has good macro-mechanical and water stability. • The residue solidification soil can be used to urban road subbase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]