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Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown great potential for the treatment of liver injuries, and the therapeutic efficacy greatly depends on their homing to the site of injury. In the present study, we detected significant upregulation of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in the serum and liver in mice with acute or chronic liver injury. In vitro study revealed that upregulation of miR-9-5p or miR-221-3p promoted the migration of human MSCs (hMSCs) toward HGF. Moreover, overexpression of miR-9-5p or miR-221-3p promoted hMSC homing to the injured liver and resulted in significantly higher engraftment upon peripheral infusion. hMSCs reduced hepatic necrosis and inflammatory infiltration but showed little effect on extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. By contrast, hMSCs overexpressing miR-9-5p or miR-221-3p resulted in not only less centrilobular necrosis and venous congestion but also a significant reduction of ECM deposition, leading to obvious improvement of hepatocyte morphology and alleviation of fibrosis around central vein and portal triads. Further studies showed that hMSCs inhibited the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) but could not decrease the expression of TIMP-1 upon acute injury and the expression of MCP-1 and TIMP-1 upon chronic injury, while hMSCs overexpressing miR-9-5p or miR-221-3p led to further inactivation of HSCs and downregulation of all three fibrogenic and proinflammatory factors TGF-β, MCP-1, and TIMP-1 upon both acute and chronic injuries. Overexpression of miR-9-5p or miR-221-3p significantly downregulated the expression of α-SMA and Col-1α1 in activated human hepatic stellate cell line LX-2, suggesting that miR-9-5p and miR-221-3p may partially contribute to the alleviation of liver injury by preventing HSC activation and collagen expression, shedding light on improving the therapeutic efficacy of hMSCs via microRNA modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the vigorous development of the Internet of Things, 5G technology, and artificial intelligence, flexible wearable sensors have received great attention. As a simple and low-cost power supply in wearable sensors, the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has a wide range of applications in the field of flexible electronics. However, most polymers are thermally poor conductors (less than 0.1 W/(m·K)), resulting in insufficient heat dissipation performance and limiting the development of TENG. In this study, a high-performance non-woven fabric TENG with strong thermal conductivity (0.26 W/m·K) was achieved by introducing ZrB2 into the polyurethane (PU) matrix. The excellent output performance with an open circuit voltage (Voc) of 347.6 V, a short circuit current (Isc) of 3.61 μA, and an accumulated charge of 142.4 nC endows it with good sensitivity. The electrospun PU/ZrB2 composites exhibit excellent sensing performance to detect body movements in situ, such as pressing, clapping, running, and walking. Moreover, the generated power can light up 224 LED bulbs as a demonstration of self-powering ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cellular prion protein (PrPc) is a cell surface glycoprotein that is highly expressed in a variety of cancer tissues in addition to the nervous system, and its elevated expression is correlated to poor prognosis in many cancer patients. Our team previously found that patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) with high-level PrPc expression had significantly poorer survival than those with no or low-level PrPc expression. Mouse antibodies for PrPc inhibited tumor initiation and liver metastasis of PrPc-positive human CRC cells in mouse model experiments. PrPc is a candidate target for CRC therapy. In this study, we newly cloned a mouse anti-PrPc antibody (Clone 6) and humanized it, then affinity-matured this antibody using a CHO cell display with a peptide antigen and full-length PrPc, respectively. We obtained two humanized antibody clones with affinities toward a full-length PrPc of about 10- and 100-fold of that of the original antibody. The two humanized antibodies bound to the PrPc displayed significantly better on the cell surface than Clone 6. Used for Western blotting and immunohistochemistry, the humanized antibody with the highest affinity is superior to the two most frequently used commercial antibodies (8H4 and 3F4). The two new antibodies have the potential to be developed as useful reagents for PrPc detection and even therapeutic antibodies targeting PrPc-positive cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Liver fibrosis (LF) is a common pathologic feature of multiple liver diseases. However, there is currently no effective treatment to slow the progression of LF. In this study, sja-let-7 from Schistosoma japonicum was shown to regulate host immune responses and attenuate the progression of carbon tetrachloride-induced LF via the Col1α2 and TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway, thereby providing references for the application of worm-derived molecules for the treatment of LF. Liver fibrosis (LF) is a chronic progressive disease with no definitive treatment. The aim of this study was to assess helminth-derived molecules as potential therapeutic targets to prevent or reverse LF. A mouse model of carbon tetrachloride (CCL4)-induced LF was established and sja-let-7 was overexpressed by treatment with a miRNA agomir once per week. After four weeks, serum biochemistry, hepatic hydroxyproline content measurements, liver histology, mRNA expression profiling of fibrotic markers, the dual-luciferase reporter assay, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were performed. Administration of the sja-let-7 agomir markedly ameliorated hepatosplenomegaly and reduced the liver hydroxyproline content. Liver histological analysis showed significant reductions in collagen deposition in the sja-let-7 agomir-treated mice. Additionally, the mRNA levels of both pro-fibrotic markers and pro-inflammatory cytokines were diminished after treatment. Furthermore, the dual-luciferase reporter assay and FISH identified the α2 chain of collagen type 1 (Col1α2) as the direct target of sja-let-7. Accordingly, the progression of LF was attenuated by targeting Col1α2 and the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Molecular diagnostic methods based on nucleic acid detection possess more advantages in high sensitivity and specificity, and low cross-reactivity with other pathogens. We assessed the detection efficacy of a real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR assay for schistosomiasis japonica in mice, before and after treatment with praziquantel. The sensitivity of the method was 99.3% (152/153, 95% CI: 96.41–99.98%) and its specificity was 100% (77/77, 95% CI: 95.32–100%). The results showed that the method exhibited good sensitivity and specificity, and its sensitivity correlated with the infection intensity in mice. After the oral administration of praziquantel, mice infected with 10 cercariae or 40 cercariae were all Schistosoma japonicum-negative via this method 6 weeks after treatment. This method had advantages over a soluble-egg-antigen-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and possessed better potential utility for evaluating the treatment efficacy of praziquantel in schistosome-infected mice. The prevalence of schistosomiasis japonica in China is now characterized by a low epidemic rate and low-intensity infections. Some diagnostic methods with high sensitivity and specificity are urgently needed to better monitor this disease in the current situation. In this study, the detection efficacy of a real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay was assessed for schistosomiasis japonica in mice, and before and after treatment with praziquantel (PZQ). Our results showed that the sensitivity of the qPCR was 99.3% (152/153, 95% CI: 96.41–99.98%) and its specificity was 100% (77/77, 95% CI: 95.32–100%) in mice infected with different numbers of Schistosoma japonicum. After the oral administration of PZQ, mice infected with 10 cercariae or 40 cercariae were all Schistosoma japonicum-negative 6 weeks after treatment. However, the negativity rates on a soluble egg antigen (SEA)-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were only 34.8% (8/23, 10 cercariae group) and 6.7% (1/15, 40 cercariae group) at the sixth week after PZQ treatment. These results demonstrated that the qPCR method had good sensitivity and specificity, and suggested that its sensitivity correlated with the infection intensity in mice. Moreover, this method had better potential utility for evaluating the treatment efficacy of PZQ in schistosome-infected mice than SEA-based ELISA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim was to determine whether lipid molecules can be used as potential biomarkers for idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), providing important reference value for early diagnosis and treatment. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry-based lipidomic assays allow for the simultaneous detection of a large number of lipids. In this study, lipid profiling was performed on plasma samples from 69 IPAH patients and 30 healthy controls to compare the levels of lipid molecules in the 2 groups of patients, and Cox regression analysis was used to identify meaningful metrics, along with receiver operator characteristic curves to assess the ability of the lipid molecules to predict the risk of disease in patients. Among the 14 lipid subclasses tested, 12 lipid levels were significantly higher in IPAH patients than in healthy controls. Free fatty acids (FFA) and monoacylglycerol (MAG) were significantly different between IPAH patients and healthy controls. Logistic regression analysis showed that FFA (OR: 1.239, 95%CI: 1.101, 1.394, p < 0.0001) and MAG (OR: 3.711, 95%CI: 2.214, 6.221, p < 0.001) were independent predictors of IPAH development. Among the lipid subclasses, FFA and MAG have potential as biomarkers for predicting the pathogenesis of IPAH, which may improve the early diagnosis of IPAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low-carbon retrofitting of industrial heritage communities is an important issue for reducing urban carbon emissions. Previous research on the judgment of heritage elements and carbon emission factors of industrial heritage communities lacked the construction of elements within the space, and the value judgment of conservation and the determination of low-carbon factors lacked a systematic network analysis. Carbon spatial networks as a systematic approach can systematically harmonize the contradictions between "conservation–transformation–low carbon" while considering the spatial and temporal carbon emissions of nodes. This research uses hierarchical analysis to analyze the value of heritage elements and locate them in space, then combine the elements that affect carbon activities in space to form carbon space nodes integrated with heritage conservation elements, and analyze the links between nodes to form a carbon space network. Then, this research uses a carbon spatial network to dissect the structure of carbon emissions, calculate the carbon activity at nodes, and reflect it into a parameterized platform to guide designers. After that, this research selected 16 industrial heritage communities in the severe cold region for the carbon activity measurement of carbon spatial network node elements in the operation stage and conducted a correlation analysis to obtain a correlation matrix model of node elements and carbon activities. Within the constraints of heritage element protection, the results show that the volume ratio, green area ratio, and building density of the carbon spatial network model have the greatest influence on its carbon performance, followed by porosity and road density. Through case simulation verification, the floor area ratio of industrial heritage communities should be controlled between 2.1–2.5, the number of residential building floors should be 7–14, the road network density should be 4.16–4.50%, the green space ratio should be 20–35%, and the porosity should be 35–45%. Taking the three major power road communities in Harbin as an example, retrofit measures were decided by reference to relevant parameter control intervals, resulting in a 21.1% reduction in energy consumption, an approximate 32.7% reduction in carbon emissions, and a 7.3% reduction in the annual percentage of hours in extreme hot and cold environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The persulfate-based advanced oxidation process has been an effective method for refractory organic pollutants' degradation in aqueous phase. Herein, α-MnO2 with nanowire morphology was facially fabricated via a one-step hydrothermal method and successfully activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation. Influencing factors, including the hydrothermal parameter, PMS concentration, α-MnO2 dosage, RhB concentration, initial pH, and anions, were systematically investigated. The corresponding reaction kinetics were further fitted by the pseudo-first-order kinetic. The RhB degradation mechanism via α-MnO2 activating PMS was proposed according to a series of quenching experiments and the UV-vis scanning spectrum. Results showed that α-MnO2 could effectively activate PMS to degrade RhB and has good repeatability. The catalytic RhB degradation reaction was accelerated by increasing the catalyst dosage and the PMS concentration. The effective RhB degradation performance can be attributed to the high content of surface hydroxyl groups and the greater reducibility of α-MnO2, and the contribution of different ROS (reactive oxygen species) was 1O2 > O 2 · − > SO 4 · − > ·OH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical strength of dispersed particle gels (DPGs), which can be directly characterized by Young's modulus, is an important parameter affecting reservoir regulation performance. However, the effect of reservoir conditions on the mechanical strength of DPGs, as well as the desired range of mechanical strength for optimum reservoir regulation performance, have not been systematically studied. In this paper, DPG particles with different Young's moduli were prepared and their corresponding migration performances, profile control capacities and enhanced oil recovery abilities were studied by simulated core experiments. The results showed that with increase in Young's modulus, the DPG particles exhibited improved performance in profile control as well as enhanced oil recovery. However, only the DPG particles with a modulus range of 0.19–0.762 kPa could achieve both adequate blockage in large pore throats and migration to deep reservoirs through deformation. Considering the material costs, applying DPG particles with moduli within the range of 0.19–0.297 kPa (polymer concentration: 0.25–0.4%; cross-linker concentration: 0.7–0.9%) would ensure optimum reservoir control performance. Direct evidence for the temperature and salt resistance of DPG particles was also obtained. When aged in reservoir conditions below 100 °C and at a salinity of 10 × 104 mg·L−1, the Young's modulus values of the DPG particle systems increased moderately with temperature or salinity, indicating a favorable impact of reservoir conditions on the reservoir regulation abilities of DPG particles. The studies in this paper indicated that the practical reservoir regulation performances of DPGs can be improved by adjusting the mechanical strength, providing basic theoretical guidance for the application of DPGs in efficient oilfield development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) is a key enzyme for the process of ABA synthesis that plays key roles in a variety of biological processes. In the current investigation, genome-wide identification and comprehensive analysis of the NCED gene family in 'Kuerle Xiangli' (Pyrus sinkiangensis Yu) were conducted using the pear genomic sequence. In total, nineteen members of PbNCED genes were identified from the whole genome of pear, which are not evenly distributed over the scaffolds, and most of which were focussed in the chloroplasts. Sequence analysis of promoters showed many cis-regulatory elements, which presumably responded to phytohormones such as abscisic acid, auxin, etc. Synteny block indicated that the PbNCED genes have experienced strong purifying selection. Multiple sequence alignment demonstrated that these members are highly similar and conserved. In addition, we found that PbNCED genes were differentially expressed in various tissues, and three PbNCED genes (PbNCED1, PbNCED2, and PbNCED13) were differentially expressed in response to exogenous Gibberellin (GA3) and Paclobutrazol (PP333). PbNCED1 and PbNCED13 positively promote ABA synthesis in sepals after GA3 and PP333 treatment, whereas PbNCED2 positively regulated ABA synthesis in ovaries after GA3 treatment, and PbNCED13 positively regulated ABA synthesis in the ovaries after PP333 treatment. This study was the first genome-wide report of the pear NCED gene family, which could improve our understanding of pear NCED proteins and provide a solid foundation for future cloning and functional analyses of this gene family. Meanwhile, our results also give a better understanding of the important genes and regulation pathways related to calyx abscission in 'Kuerle Xiangli'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence and infectious intensity of schistosomiasis japonica has decreased significantly in China in the past few decades. However, more accurate and sensitive diagnostic methods are urgently required for the further control, surveillance, and final elimination of the disease. In this study, we assessed the diagnostic efficacy of a real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qPCR) method and recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) combined with a lateral-flow dipstick (LFD) assay for detecting early infections of Schistosoma japonicum and different infection intensities. The sensitivity of the qPCR at 40 days post-infection (dpi) was 100% (8/8) in mice infected with 40 cercariae, which was higher than in mice infected with 10 cercariae (90%, 9/10) or five cercariae (77.8%, 7/9). The results of the RPA–LFD assays were similar, with sensitivities of 55.6% (5/9), 80% (8/10), and 100% (8/8) in mice infected with 5, 10, and 40 cercariae, respectively. In goats, both the qPCR and RPA–LFD assays showed 100% (8/8) sensitivity at 56 dpi. In the early detection of S. japonicum infection in mice and goats with qPCR, the first peak in positivity appeared at 3–4 dpi, when the positivity rate exceeded 40%, even in the low infection, intensity mice. In the RPA–LFD assays, positive results first peaked at 4–5 dpi in the mice, and the positivity rate was 37.5% in the goats at 1 dpi. In conclusion, neither of the molecular methods produced exceptional results for the early diagnosis of S. japonicum infection. However, they were useful methods for the regular diagnosis of schistosomiasis in mice and goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of a low-orbit mega constellation network, we consider the large-scale inter-satellite routing problem with time windows and capacity constraints (ISRPTWC) with the goal of minimizing the total consumption cost, including transmission, resource consumption, and other environmentally impacted costs. Initially, we develop an integer linear programming model for ISRPTWC. However, a difficult issue when solving ISRPTWC is how to deal with complex time window constraints and how to reduce congestion and meet transmission capacity. Along this line, we construct a three-dimensional time-space state network aiming to comprehensively enumerate the satellite network state at any moment in time and a task transmission route at any given time and further propose a time-discretized multi-commodity network flow model for the ISRPTWC. Then, we adopt a dynamic programming algorithm to solve the single-task ISRPTWC. By utilizing a Lagrangian relaxation algorithm, the primal multi-task routing problem is decomposed into a sequence of single-task routing subproblems, with Lagrangian multipliers for individual task route nodes and links being updated by a subgradient method. Notably, we devise a novel idea for constructing the upper bound of the ISRPTWC. Finally, a case study using illustrative and real-world mega constellation networks is performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The GRF gene family plays an important role in plant growth and development as regulators involved in plant hormone signaling and metabolism. However, the Juglandaceae GRF gene family remains to be studied. Here, we identified 15, 15, 19, and 20 GRF genes in J. regia, C. illinoinensis, J. sigillata, and J. mandshurica, respectively. The phylogeny shows that the Juglandaceae family GRF is divided into two subfamilies, the ε-group and the non-ε-group, and that selection pressure analysis did not detect amino acid loci subject to positive selection pressure. In addition, we found that the duplications of the Juglandaceae family GRF genes were all segmental duplication events, and a total of 79 orthologous gene pairs and one paralogous homologous gene pair were identified in four Juglandaceae families. The Ka/KS ratios between these homologous gene pairs were further analyzed, and the Ka/KS values were all less than 1, indicating that purifying selection plays an important role in the evolution of the Juglandaceae family GRF genes. The codon bias of genes in the GRF family of Juglandaceae species is weak, and is affected by both natural selection pressure and base mutation, and translation selection plays a dominant role in the mutation pressure in codon usage. Finally, expression analysis showed that GRF genes play important roles in pecan embryo development and walnut male and female flower bud development, but with different expression patterns. In conclusion, this study will serve as a rich genetic resource for exploring the molecular mechanisms of flower bud differentiation and embryo development in Juglandaceae. In addition, this is the first study to report the GRF gene family in the Juglandaceae family; therefore, our study will provide guidance for future comparative and functional genomic studies of the GRF gene family in the Juglandaceae specie. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the dynamic compressive strength and dissipated energy of rocks were investigated under hydrostatic pressure after different freeze–thaw cycles (FTCs). A split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) with a lateral confining pressure chamber was used for the dynamic testing of sandstone specimens. The results indicated that under a certain loading rate and hydrostatic pressure, both the dissipative energy and dynamic compression strength of rocks decreased with the increase in the number of FTCs. The hydrostatic pressure significantly increased the dissipated energy and dynamic compression strength of rocks, and the enhancement became more pronounced as the number of FTCs increased. By analyzing the energy and damage characteristics of the specimens, after 40 FTCs, the internal damage of the specimens became critical and desensitized the dissipated energy to the loading rate. Based on the testing results, an empirical function was proposed to describe how the dissipated energy was related to the number of FTCs, hydrostatic pressure, and loading rate. It was demonstrated that the dissipated energy had a negative linear relation with FTC, which was enhanced by confinement. The dissipated energy of the specimen corresponded to the dynamic compression strength according to a quadratic function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fabrication of porous copper with ultrahigh porosity by adding 90% spacer content was an unsolved technical problem in the field. In this study, the green compacts placed on a layer wire mesh during the decomposition process of needlelike carbamide as space holder with volume content up to 90% was successfully conducted to fabricate nondestructive porous copper. Compared with the green compacts directly placed on an alumina plate, the use of this support was crucial for manufacturing highly-porous copper. Characterization of macro- and microscopic morphologies as well as quasi-static compressive test for the obtained porous copper samples was carried out. The results show that the porosity of porous copper samples with 87.3% was slightly smaller than the spacer content. The SEM observation indicates that the internal pores of porous copper formed an open-cell structure and its skeleton was very dense. The compressive tests show that the stress–strain curve of a porous copper sample exhibits the typical characteristics of elastic-plastic metal foam. The energy absorption properties of porous copper samples were also comparable. This study provides a possibility for the preparation of porous copper and other metals with ultrahigh porosity by the well-known space holder method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hysteresis of rubber materials due to deformation and viscoelasticity is the main reason for the heat build-up (HBU) and rolling resistance (RR) of the rolling tire. It is important to realize the high precision prediction of HBU and RR of tire for the optimal design of high-performance fuel-saving tire. In this work, a thermo-mechanical coupling method based on Endurica and Abaqus co-simulation was used to predict the steady-state temperature distribution and RR of three finite element models (Lagrangian–Eulerian model, Lagrangian model, and Plane Strain model) of the solid tires under different loads and rotating speeds. The simulation results were compared with the experimental results. The Kraus self-heating model was utilized in the thermo-mechanical coupling method, which realized the quantitative relationship between the dynamic loss modulus of rubber and the loading conditions (temperature, strain, and strain rate). Special attention was paid to the determination of the material parameters in the Kraus self-heating model. The comparison between simulation results and experimental results shows that the Lagrangian model had the highest prediction accuracy, and the average prediction errors of the steady-state surface temperature and RR under three loading conditions were 3.4% and 7.9%, respectively. The Lagrangian–Eulerian model came in the second with average errors of 9.7% and 11.1%, respectively. The Plane Strain model had the worst prediction accuracy, with the average errors of 21.4% and 44.6%, respectively. In terms of the simulation time, the Plane Strain model had the lowest cost, and the average calculation time was 1143 s. The Lagrangian–Eulerian model took the second place, with an average calculation time of 2621 s. The Lagrangian model had the highest computation cost, with an average time of 5597 s. The comparison between the simulation results and the experimental results verified the effectiveness of the thermo-mechanical coupling analysis method. The methods of three finite element models of the solid tires in this work can provide some reference for the optimization design of elastomeric components (Lagrangian model), pneumatic tires (Lagrangian–Eulerian model), and non-pneumatic tires (Plane Strain model). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basic leucine zipper (bZIP), a conserved transcription factor widely found in eukaryotes, has important regulatory roles in plant growth. To understand the information related to the bZIP gene family in walnut, 88 JrbZIP genes were identified at the genome-wide level and classified into 13 subfamilies (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, M, and S) using a bioinformatic approach. The number of exons in JrbZIPs ranged from 1 to 12, the number of amino acids in JrbZIP proteins ranged from 145 to 783, and the isoelectric point ranged from 4.85 to 10.05. The majority of JrbZIP genes were localized in the nucleus. The promoter prediction results indicated that the walnut bZIP gene contains a large number of light-responsive and jasmonate-responsive action elements. The 88 JrbZIP genes were involved in DNA binding and nucleus and RNA biosynthetic processes of three ontological categories, molecular functions, cellular components and biological processes. The codon preference analysis showed that the bZIP gene family has a stronger bias for AGA, AGG, UUG, GCU, GUU, and UCU than other codons. Moreover, the transcriptomic data showed that JrbZIP genes might play an important role in floral bud differentiation. The results of a protein interaction network map and kegg enrichment analysis indicated that bZIP genes were mainly involved in phytohormone signaling, anthocyanin synthesis and flowering regulation. qRT-PCR demonstrated the role of the bZIP gene family in floral bud differentiation. Co-expression network maps were constructed for 29 walnut bZIP genes and 6 flowering genes, and JrCO (a homolog of AtCO) was significantly correlated (p < 0.05) with 13 JrbZIP genes in the level of floral bud differentiation expression, including JrbZIP31 (homolog of AtFD), and JrLFY was significantly and positively correlated with JrbZIP10,11,51,59,67 (p < 0.05), and the above results suggest that bZIP family genes may act together with flowering genes to regulate flower bud differentiation in walnut. This study was the first genome-wide report of the walnut bZIP gene family, which could improve our understanding of walnut bZIP proteins and provide a solid foundation for future cloning and functional analyses of this gene family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contents of cellulose and hemicellulose (C and H) in corn stover (CS) have an important influence on its biochemical transformation and utilization. To rapidly detect the C and H contents in CS by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), the characteristic wavelength selection algorithms of backward partial least squares (BIPLS), competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS), BIPLS combined with CARS, BIPLS combined with a genetic simulated annealing algorithm (GSA), and CARS combined with a GSA were used to select the wavelength variables (WVs) for C and H, and the corresponding regression correction models were established. The results showed that five wavelength selection algorithms could effectively eliminate irrelevant redundant WVs, and their modeling performance was significantly superior to that of the full spectrum. Through comparison and analysis, it was found that CARS combined with GSA had the best comprehensive performance; the predictive root mean squared errors of the C and H regression model were 0.786% and 0.893%, and the residual predictive deviations were 3.815 and 12.435, respectively. The wavelength selection algorithm could effectively improve the accuracy of the quantitative analysis of C and H contents in CS by NIRS, providing theoretical support for the research and development of related online detection equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel type of phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin was prepared by utilizing the liquefaction products liquefied by phenol under acidic conditions and then reacted with formaldehyde under alkaline conditions. The relationship between the liquefaction behavior of cassava starch and the properties of modified PF resin wood adhesive was studied. The effects of the liquid–solid ratio of phenol to cassava starch, sulfuric acid usage, and liquefaction time on the liquefaction residue rate and relative crystallinity of cassava starch were determined. The results showed that the bonding strength of modified PF resin decreased gradually with the decrease of the liquid–solid ratio. It was a great surprise that bonding strength still met the requirement of the national standard of 0.7 MPa when the liquid–solid ratio was 1.0. The detailed contents were analyzed through FT-IR, SEM, and XRD. In terms of the utilization of bio-materials for liquefaction to synthesize wood adhesive, cassava starch may be superior to the others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cone penetrometer test (CPT) has been widely used in geotechnical investigations. However, how to use the limited CPT data to reasonably predict the soil parameters of the unsampled regions remains a challenge. In the present study, we adopted the Kriging method to obtain the CPT data of an unsampled location in Adelaide, South Australia, based on the collected CPT data from six soundings around this location. Interpolation results showed that the trend of the estimated parameters is consistent with the trend of parameters of the surrounding points. From the Kriging interpolation result, we further carried out axial bearing capacity calculation of a precast concrete pile using the CPT-based direct method to verify the reliability of the method. The calculated bearing capacity of the pile is 99.6 kN which is very close to the true value of 102.8 kN. Our results demonstrated the effectiveness of the Kriging method in considering the soil spatial variability and predicting soil parameters, which is quite suitable for the application in engineering practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rolling enables the directional alignment of the reinforcements in graphene/Cu composites while achieving uniform graphene dispersion and matrix grain refinement. This is expected to achieve a breakthrough in composite performance. In this paper, the process parameters of rolling are investigated, and the defects, thickness variations of graphene and property changes of the composite under different parameters are analyzed. High-temperature rolling is beneficial to avoid the damage of graphene during rolling, and the prepared composites have higher electrical conductivity. The properties of graphene were investigated. Low-temperature rolling is more favorable to the thinning and dispersion of graphene; meanwhile, the relative density of the composites is higher in the low-temperature rolling process. With the increase of rolling deformation, the graphene defects slightly increased and the number of layers decreased. In this paper, the defect states of graphene and the electrical conductivity with different rolling parameters is comprehensively investigated to provide a reference for the rolling process of graphene/copper composites with different demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the geometric point of view, the roof shape of a typical building is a polyhedral structure, a representative example of which is shown in Figure 1 (derived from reference [17], titled "A generative statistical approach to automatic 3D building roof reconstruction from laser scanning data"). According to Figure 1 (derived from reference [17], titled "A generative statistical approach to automatic 3D building roof reconstruction from laser scanning data"), it can be found that typical building roof shapes are diverse and contain flat roofs, pitched roofs, double-slope roofs, four-slope roofs, and multiwave folding slab roofs. For this reason, it is necessary to construct a unified mathematical description of building roof characteristics to accommodate the different roof geometric structures of typical buildings. [Extracted from the article]

Graphene has extremely high theoretical strength and electrothermal properties, and its application to Cu-based composites is expected to achieve a breakthrough in the performance of existing composites. As a nano-reinforced body, graphene often needs a long time of ball milling to make it uniformly dispersed, but the ball milling process inevitably brings damage to the graphene, causing the performance of the composite to deviate from expectations. Therefore, this paper uses CH4 as a carbon source to repair graphene through a CVD process to prepare low-damage graphene/Cu composites. The process of graphene defect generation was studied through the ball milling process. The effects of defect content and temperature on the graphene repair process were studied separately. The study found that the graphene defect repair process, the decomposition process of oxygen-containing functional groups, and the deposition process of active C atoms existed simultaneously in the CVD process. When the repair temperature was low, the C atom deposition process and the oxygen-containing functional group decomposition process dominated. In addition, when the repair temperature is high, the graphene defect repair process dominated. 3 wt% graphene/Cu composites were prepared by pressure infiltration, and it was found that the bending strength was increased by 48%, the plasticity was also slightly increased, and the thermal conductivity was increased by 10–40%. This research will help reduce graphene defects, improve the intrinsic properties of graphene, and provide theoretical guidance for the regulation of C defects in composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The active recognition of interesting targets has been a vital issue for remote sensing. In this paper, a novel multi-source fusion method for ship target detection and recognition is proposed. By introducing synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensor images, the proposed method solves the problem of precision degradation in optical remote sensing image target detection and recognition caused by the limit of illumination and weather conditions. The proposed method obtains port slice images containing ship targets by fusing optical data with SAR data. On this basis, spectral residual saliency and region growth method are used to detect ship targets in optical image, while SAR data are introduced to improve the accuracy of ship detection based on joint shape analysis and multi-feature classification. Finally, feature point matching, contour extraction and brightness saliency are used to detect the ship parts, and the ship target types are identified according to the voting results of part information. The proposed ship detection method obtained 91.43% recognition accuracy. The results showed that this paper provides an effective and efficient ship target detection and recognition method based on multi-source remote sensing images fusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silane coupling agent (SCA), a kind of organic solvent, was introduced to improve the performance of coral coarse aggregates and enhance the interfacial adhesion between the inorganic coral aggregate and the cement paste of coral concrete. The crushing indicator and water absorption of the coral aggregates over various dipping times were measured, and the slump, interface microhardness, and compressive strength of coral concrete tested. The microscopic appearances of the coral concrete before and after modification were analyzed based on SEM images. The experimental results indicate that SCA can effectively reduce the crushing indicator and water absorption of coral coarse aggregates, and the modification performance becomes better over time. SCA facilitates the generation of chemical forces between the coral aggregates and cement mortars, improves adhesion between the aggregates and mortars, augments the microhardness of the interface, and increases the compressive strength. According to the microscopic appearance of the treated and untreated coral aggregate interfaces, the aggregates and the mortars are in closer combination after modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to adapt to the actual scene of a stereo satellite observing the same area sequentially and improve the accuracy of the target-oriented 3D reconstruction, this paper proposed a building DSM fusion update method based on adaptive splines and target characteristic guidance. This method analyzed the target characteristics of surface building targets to explore their intrinsic geometric structure information, established a nonlinear fusion method guided by the target characteristics to achieve the effective fusion of multiple DSMs on the basis of maintaining the target structural characteristics, and supported the online updating of DSM to ensure the needs of practical engineering applications. This paper presented a DSM fusion method for surface building targets and finally conducted DSM fusion experiments using typical urban area images of different scenes. The experimental results showed that the proposed method can effectively constrain and improve the DSM of buildings, and the integrity of the overall construction of the target 3D model structure was significantly improved, indicating that this paper provides an effective and efficient DSM constraint method for buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an ultrahigh-strength marine concrete containing coral aggregates is developed. Concrete fabricated from marine sources is considered an effective and economical alternative for marine engineering and the construction of remote islands. To protect sea coral ecosystems, the coral aggregates used for construction are only efflorescent coral debris. To achieve the expected mechanical performance from the studied concrete, an optimal mixture design is conducted to determine the optimal proportions of components, in order to optimize the compressive strength. The mechanical properties and the autogenous shrinkage, as well as the heat flow of early hydration reactions, are measured. The hydration products fill up the pores of coral aggregates, endowing our concrete with flowability and self-compacting ability. The phases in the marine concrete are identified via X-ray diffraction analysis. The 28-day compressive and flexural strength of the developed marine concrete achieve 116.76 MPa and 18.24 MPa, respectively. On account of the lower cement content and the internal curing provided by coral aggregates, the volume change resulting from autogenous shrinkage is only 63.11% of that of ordinary reactive powder concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochemical methane potential (BMP) of anaerobic co-digestion (co-AD) feedstocks is an essential basis for optimizing ratios of materials. Given the time-consuming shortage of conventional BMP tests, a rapid estimated method was proposed for BMP of co-AD—with straw and feces as feedstocks—based on near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) combined with chemometrics. Partial least squares with several variable selection algorithms were used for establishing calibration models. Variable selection methods were constructed by the genetic simulated annealing algorithm (GSA) combined with interval partial least squares (iPLS), synergy iPLS, backward iPLS, and competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS), respectively. By comparing the modeling performances of characteristic wavelengths selected by different algorithms, it was found that the model constructed using 57 characteristic wavelengths selected by CARS-GSA had the best prediction accuracy. For the validation set, the determination coefficient, root mean square error and relative root mean square error of the CARS-GSA model were 0.984, 6.293 and 2.600, respectively. The result shows that the NIRS regression model—constructed with characteristic wavelengths, selected by CARS-GSA—can meet actual detection requirements. Based on a large number of samples collected, the method proposed in this study can realize the rapid and accurate determination of the BMP for co-AD raw materials in biogas engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In artificial ecosystems, mixed planting of gramineous and leguminous plants can have obvious advantages and is very common. Due to their improved growth performances and stress tolerance, endophyte-infected grasses are considered to be ideal plant species for grasslands. However, endophytic fungi can inhibit the growth of neighboring nonhost leguminous plants. In this study, we chose endophyte-infected and endophyte-free tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum Darbyshire ex. Schreb.) and clover (Trifolium repens) as the experimental materials to explore whether arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobium can alleviate the inhibitory effect of endophyte infection on clover. The results showed that endophytic fungi significantly reduced clover biomass. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation significantly increased the biomass of clover in both endophyte-infected tall fescue/clover and endophyte-free tall fescue/clover systems but the beneficial contribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi was more obvious in the endophyte-infected tall fescue/clover system. Rhizobia inoculation could alleviate the detrimental effect of tall fescue on the growth of clover but did not alleviate the detrimental effect of endophyte infection on the growth of clover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure and properties of Copper-Graphite Composites (CGC) prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) based on two-step mixing and wet milling were investigated. The results showed that Cu powders were rolled into Cu flakes during milling, and their size significantly decreased from 23.2 to 10.9 μm when the graphite content increased from 1.0 wt.% to 2.5 wt.%. The oxidation of Cu powder was avoided during two-step mixing and wet milling. After spark plasma sintering, the graphite powders of the composites were mainly distributed at Cu grain boundaries in granular and flake shapes. The mean size of Cu grains was 9.4 um for 1.0 wt.% graphite content and reduced slightly with the increasing of graphite content. Compared with other conventional methods, the composite prepared by two-step mixing and SPS achieved higher relative density, electrical conductivity, and micro-hardness, which, respectively, reduced from 98.78%, 89.7% IACS (International annealed copper standard), and 64 HV (Vickers-hardness) to 96.56%, 81.3% IACS, and 55 HV when the graphite content increased from 1.0 wt.% to 2.5 wt.%. As the graphite content increases, the friction coefficient and wear rate of the composite decreases. When the graphite content of CGC is 1.0 wt.%, the main wear mechanism was plastic deformation, delamination, adhesive, and fatigue wear. The adhesive and fatigue wear disappeared gradually with the increasing of graphite content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Breast cancer is a common malignancy, but the understanding of its cellular and molecular mechanisms is limited. The ZFHX3 transcription factor regulates mammary epithelial cells' proliferation and differentiation by interacting with estrogen and progesterone receptors. Both these receptors play crucial roles in breast cancer development, but whether ZFHX3 also impacts breast cancer is unknown. In this study, the authors aim to determine if ZFHX3 promotes breast cancer cells' proliferation and tumor growth and explore the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. Higher ZFHX3 expression is associated with worse patient survival in breast cancer, ZFHX3 promotes the proliferation and tumor growth of breast cancer cells, and several breast cancer stem cell factors appear to be involved in the role of ZFHX3 in breast cancer growth. The findings suggest that ZFHX3 is a novel oncogenic molecule promoting breast cancer development. Such a molecule could provide novel opportunities for the treatment of breast cancer. Breast cancer is a common malignancy, but the understanding of its cellular and molecular mechanisms is limited. ZFHX3, a transcription factor with many homeodomains and zinc fingers, suppresses prostatic carcinogenesis but promotes tumor growth of liver cancer cells. ZFHX3 regulates mammary epithelial cells' proliferation and differentiation by interacting with estrogen and progesterone receptors, potent breast cancer regulators. However, whether ZFHX3 plays a role in breast carcinogenesis is unknown. Here, we found that ZFHX3 promoted the proliferation and tumor growth of breast cancer cells in culture and nude mice; and higher expression of ZFHX3 in human breast cancer specimens was associated with poorer prognosis. The knockdown of ZFHX3 in ZFHX3-high MCF-7 cells decreased, and ZFHX3 overexpression in ZFHX3-low T-47D cells increased the proportion of breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) defined by mammosphere formation and the expression of CD44, CD24, and/or aldehyde dehydrogenase 1. Among several transcription factors that have been implicated in BCSCs, MYC and TBX3 were transcriptionally activated by ZFHX3 via promoter binding, as demonstrated by luciferase-reporter and ChIP assays. These findings suggest that ZFHX3 promotes breast cancer cells' proliferation and tumor growth likely by enhancing BCSC features and upregulating MYC, TBX3, and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene has extremely high theoretical strength and electrothermal properties, and its application to Cu-based composites is expected to achieve a breakthrough in the performance of existing composites. As a nano-reinforced body, graphene often needs a long time of ball milling to make it uniformly dispersed, but the ball milling process inevitably brings damage to the graphene, causing the performance of the composite to deviate from expectations. Therefore, this paper uses CH 4 as a carbon source to repair graphene through a CVD process to prepare low-damage graphene/Cu composites. The process of graphene defect generation was studied through the ball milling process. The effects of defect content and temperature on the graphene repair process were studied separately. The study found that the graphene defect repair process, the decomposition process of oxygen-containing functional groups, and the deposition process of active C atoms existed simultaneously in the CVD process. When the repair temperature was low, the C atom deposition process and the oxygen-containing functional group decomposition process dominated. In addition, when the repair temperature is high, the graphene defect repair process dominated. 3 wt% graphene/Cu composites were prepared by pressure infiltration, and it was found that the bending strength was increased by 48%, the plasticity was also slightly increased, and the thermal conductivity was increased by 10-40%. This research will help reduce graphene defects, improve the intrinsic properties of graphene, and provide theoretical guidance for the regulation of C defects in composites.

Coral concrete has low cost and convenient materials, making it an excellent raw material for processing. However, its lower strength limits the application of coral concrete. Surface modification is expected to increase the properties of porous coral concrete. In this study, single and compound modification treatments were applied to the surface of a coral aggregate to improve its properties for promoting the mechanical performance of coral concrete. The results showed that the micro-aggregate effect and pozzolanic activity of granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) and the permeability and polycondensation of sodium silicate (SS) could be mutually promoted. The GBFS and SS could effectively fill the pores of the coral aggregate, enhancing the properties of the aggregate, such as density and load-bearing capacity, and reducing the water absorption and crushing index by more than 50%. GBFS and SS could intensify and accelerate the hydration of cement, and generate a large number of hard hydration products at the interfacial transition zone (ITZ), which could strengthen the bonding between the aggregate and mortar, improving the strength of the ITZ. The compressive strength of the coral concrete was significantly increased.