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Large display interaction has undergone considerable growth, whereas distant pointing poses challenges due to distance limitations and input devices. Smart devices with superior computing power and rich input capabilities aim to surmount these restrictions. However, pointing interactions in single-layer have limited accuracy in large display scenarios. We investigate a hierarchical pointing approach that couples multiple control modes of rotation attitude, touch operation, and pressure simulation with different cursor strategies. Specifically, it covers the dual-layer cursor with the hierarchical structure, the pressure-dependent multistage gain cursor, and the cursor projection technique based on the target acquisition mechanism. We contrast seven distant pointing techniques in two groups of experiments. Our results indicate that the hierarchical interaction strategy improves user performance, and cursor projection achieves an optimal trade-off between velocity and accuracy for high Fitts' index of difficulty (ID) contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type XXVIII collagen (COL28) is involved in cancer and lung fibrosis. COL28 polymorphisms and mutations might be involved in kidney fibrosis, but the exact role of COL28 in renal fibrosis is unknown. This study explored the function of COL28 in renal tubular cells by examining the expression of COL28 mRNA and the effects of COL28 overexpression in human tubular cells. COL28 mRNA expression and localization were observed in normal and fibrotic kidney tissues from humans and mice using real-time PCR, western blot, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry. The consequences of COL28 overexpression on cell proliferation, migration, cell polarity, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by TGF-β1 were examined in human tubular HK-2 cells. COL28 expression was low in human normal renal tissues, mainly observed in the renal tubular epithelial cells and especially in proximal renal tubules. COL28 protein expression in human and mouse obstructive kidney disease was higher than in normal tissues (p < 0.05) and more significant in the UUO2-Week than the UUO1-Week group. The overexpression of COL28 promoted HK-2 cell proliferation and enhanced their migration ability (all p < 0.05). TGF-β1 (10 ng/ml) induced COL28 mRNA expression in HK-2 cells, decreased E-cadherin and increased α-SMA in the COL28-overexpression group compared with controls (p < 0.05). ZO-1 expression decreased while COL6 increased in the COL28-overexpression group compared with controls (p < 0.05). In conclusion, COL28 overexpression promotes the migration and proliferation of renal tubular epithelial cells. The EMT could also be involved. COL28 could be a therapeutic target against renal- fibrotic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rabbit hair is an excellent textile fiber owing to its softness and luster. However, the poor spinnability of rabbit hair restricts its application on textiles. In this article, ionic liquid (IL) solutions were used to treat rabbit hair at five different temperatures. The raw and treated rabbit hair was then characterized by microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM), mechanical property, XRD, and properties related to spininability (crimp and friction property, moisture regain, and electrical performance). The results showed that the rabbit hair fiber's morphology was obviously curled, and mechanical properties and crystallinity were reduced after ILs treatment. Moreover, the friction performance was increased by 15% and the crimp rate was increased by 7.2 times. These results suggest that with proper temperatures of ILs treatment, the rabbit hair could show better potential for spinning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Therapeutic protein preparations are usually stored in a solid state to reduce the physical and chemical degradation by removing most of the solvent (mostly water) in liquid protein preparations, improving stability and maintaining biological activity. Freeze-drying (FD) is a common method to produce the dehydrated therapeutic protein. However, various induced stresses exist in the processing steps involved in FD, such as freezing process, primary drying, and secondary drying, may cause protein instability. To overcome this problem, two means are often employed: adding stabilizers to protect proteins from physical damage associated with the FD process; optimizing parameter conditions during the FD process to reduce protein degeneration. Therefore, a deep understanding of the protein preparation formula composition and FD process parameters is crucial for the development of stable therapeutic protein products. This study reviewed the stabilization mechanisms of protein during FD, focused on the factors that induce protein instability, and discussed the relationship between protein structure changes and instability, expected to provide references for solving the instability during protein freeze-drying and storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multiphase microwave drying (MMD) was proposed to produce dried Chinese yam cubes with good quality comparable to freeze-dried products. The effects of different microwave power loading schemes on the conversion point (water phase in samples changes from solid-to-gas to liquid-to-gas) of MMD were assessed, and the macroscopic physical properties and microstructure characteristics of dried yams were investigated. Results showed that with an increase of microwave power, the time required to reach the conversion point was reduced. And the moisture content at the conversion point as affected by microwave power loading schemes had vital influence on sample quality. When it was 0.378 g·g−1, the properties of the yam cubes resembled those of freeze-dried samples in terms of rehydration, texture, and microstructure. Furthermore, a fractal theory-based microstructure characterization can accurately reflect texture characteristics. MMD has the potential to produce high quality products that matched to freeze-dried ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulse-spouted microwave freeze drying (PSMFD) used for Chinese yam cubes was evaluated at three microwave power levels (400, 600, and 800 W). The drying characteristics, energy consumption, and quality of dried yam cubes were assessed and compared with freeze dried samples. Moreover, the drying uniformity of PSMFD and static microwave freeze drying (MFD) was contrasted. Results showed that drying time decreased and drying rate increased with increasing microwave power levels, furthermore drying rate curves contained three stages. Compared to the freeze drying (FD) process, PSMFD (800 W) could shorten drying time by 55%, and appropriate microwave power (400 and 600 W) contributed to the improvement of crispness. The retention of ascorbic acid and total phenol content of yam cubes dried at 600 W was higher than that of samples dried at 400 and 800 W. In addition, the drying uniformity of PSMFD was improved compared with that of MFD. Considering the high efficiency and comparable quality compared with FD evaluated by principal component analysis (PCA), PSMFD is a promising drying technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

18th China Drying Conference & 1st Postgraduate Academic Forum in Drying Field, Luoyang, P.R. China, September 26-28, 2021 During September 26-28, 2021, the 18 SP th sp China Drying Conference & 1 SP st sp Postgraduate Academic Forum in Drying Field, hosted by the Drying Professional Group of Chemical Engineering Committee of Chinese Chemical Society, organized by Henan University of Science and Technology, and co-organized by Drying Equipment Branch of China General Machinery Industry Association, was successfully held in Luoyang, China (Figure 1). The China Drying Conference, initiated by the Drying Professional Group of Chemical Engineering Professional Committee of the Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China in 1975, has become an important platform to disseminate latest research achievements in the drying field in China with several decades of development. [Extracted from the article]

In this study, changes in various states of water in apple cubes were assessed using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) during microwave vacuum drying. Apple cubes were dried at different microwave power levels (100, 150, and 200 W). Indicators including moisture content and water activity were measured. The Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) sequence was used to measure transverse relaxation times (T2). The results showed that three water fractions with different T2 relaxation times (around 11, 126, and 1335 ms) were detected in fresh apples, which corresponded to different cell compartments. The transverse relaxation time of bulk water (T23) and the signal per mass of the bulk water (A23/g) decreased significantly with increasing drying time at different microwave power levels. The signal per mass of the total water (ATotal/g) had significant correlation with the total moisture content (R2 = 0.9919). Furthermore, good correlation (R2 = 0.9799) between water activity and NMR parameters based on partial least square regression model were observed. This research revealed that LF-NMR spectroscopy, a nondestructive technique, can detect the changes of water in different populations in the matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to determine the relationship between fetal chromosomal abnormalities and maternal age among spontaneous first trimester abortions in women in Northeast China.Methods: We evaluated 497 chorionic villi samples from patients with a history of spontaneous abortion during the first trimester. We divided the samples into five groups according to the maternal age: <25, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, and ≥40 years. We identified chromosomal abnormalities by fluorescence in situ hybridization.Results: Among the 497 chorionic samples of spontaneous abortion, 180 (36.22%) had fetal chromosomal abnormalities. Patients aged ≥40 years had a significantly higher percentage (60.61%) of fetal chromosomal abnormalities compared with the other groups. More women in the ≥40 and 35- to 39-year groups had a history of three consecutive miscarriages and 10 kinds of abnormalities. The most frequent aneuploidy was trisomy 22, followed by trisomy 16.Conclusions: These results revealed that the kinds of fetal abnormalities, numbers of abortions, and chromosomal abnormality rates increased with increasing maternal age. The most common trisomy types in spontaneous abortions were closely related to maternal age. We hypothesize whether the larger probability of chromosomal abnormalities is due to increased mutation rate with maternal age, or due to a worse in-utero conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fresh fruits and vegetables are important parts of the human diet. The consumer demand for fruits and vegetables is increasing due to their rich nutritional value, appealing taste, and healthy perception. However, due to their highly perishable nature, appropriate preservation technologies must be developed to meet the consumer’s demand for healthy, additive-free, microbiologically safe, and high quality fresh fruits and vegetables. The preservation technologies based on modification or control of pressure alters the normal atmospheric pressure of the preservation environment. The materials to be preserved are subjected to either very high or low pressure to extend their shelf life. The mechanism, advantages, and limitations of pressure modification-based preservation methods such as high hydrostatic pressure, hyperbaric treatment, vacuum cooling, hypobaric storage, and vacuum packaging focusing on their applicability to fresh fruits and vegetables have been reviewed. This review suggests that these technologies have potential to extend the shelf life and achieve a better preservation of the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freeze-drying (FD) is often used for therapeutic proteins and other biological drugs to extend their shelf life, but it usually reduces the activity and stability of the protein and has a longer drying cycle. A microwave-assisted freeze-drying (MFD) was proposed to produce immunoglobulin of yolk (IgY) preparations. The effects of FD and MFD on the immunological activity and structure of IgY with different amounts of trehalose were investigated. Results showed that lyophilization led to a partial loss of secondary structure in IgY, which resulted in the activity loss. As the trehalose content increased from 0% to 5%, the activity retention of MFD samples increased from 20.31% to 75.57%, which was comparable to FD samples (from 23.57% to 67.78%). However, MFD had a shorter drying cycle when compared with FD. MFD can be a potential alternative to FD as a common therapeutic protein drying method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the study which examines the state of vocational schools in China and urban youth.

This study examined the effects of three trials of a one-semester program designed to teach word learning strategies. Together, the three trials included 320 fourth- and fifth-grade students from diverse backgrounds. Trial 1 showed that the program significantly increased students? scores on an experimenter-designed test. Trial 2 again showed that the program significantly increased students' scores on the experimenter-designed test and that English learners made larger gains than non-English learners. Trial 3 showed that students made statistically significant gains on the experimenter-designed test and on two transfer tests that were not designed by the experimenters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents zircon ages and Hf-in-zircon isotopic data for Permian and Triassic A-type granitoids and reviews the evolution of central Inner Mongolia, China, during the early Permian and Late Triassic. SHRIMP U–Pb dating of zircons of peralkaline granites yielded206Pb/238U ages of 294 ± 4 Ma and 293 ± 9 Ma that reflect the time of Permian magmatism. Zircon ages were also obtained for Late Triassic granites (226 ± 4 Ma, 224 ± 4 Ma). Our results, in combination with published zircon ages and geochemical data, document distinct magmatic episodes in central Inner Mongolia. The Permian peralkaline granites show typical geochemical features of A-type granites, which also have highly positive zirconεHf(t)values (+4.9 – +17.1), indicating a significant contribution of an isotopically depleted source, likely formed from mantle-derived magmas. Late Triassic A-type granitoids, however, in central Inner Mongolia show large variations and mostly positive in zirconεHf(t)values (−1.3 – +13.5), suggesting derivation from a mixture of crust and mantle or metasomatized lithospheric mantle with crustal contamination. The geochemical characteristics of the Permian peralkaline granites and Late Triassic A-type granitoids are consistent with a post-collisional setting and were likely related to asthenosphere upwelling during the evolution of the Northern Block and Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to raise the international reputation and quality of higher education in China, the Ministry of Education initiated new university employment reform, which pressed academics to produce more research. Recent employment reform has aggravated the conflict between teaching and research. This study uses mixed methods to investigate how academics perceived the employment reform and how they employed various strategies to handle teaching and research. Our study indicates a trend of deprofessionalization in academic work and an increasing tension between teaching and research. Handling teaching and research required a strong and conscientious effort on the part of academics. Concerted efforts should be made to offer a more supportive environment for academics to balance teaching and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms by which cigarette smoke (CS) exposure has a detrimental effect on the male reproductive system is still not fully understood. We aimed to elucidate the role of cigarette smoke-induced injury by the Fas/FasL pathway by using a Sprague-Dawley rat model of cigarette smoking exposure. Here, 200 rats were randomaly divided into five groups with different smoking exposure durations. Forty animals per group were further divided into four groups: a control group, and groups exposed to cigarette smoke at doses of 10, 20 or 30 cigarettes/day. The testes were harvested and the effects of CS exposure on the testis were characterized on the basis of morphological changes, oxidative stress, and a significant elevation in the expression of FAS/FASL pathway related genes, such as FAS, FASL, FADD, caspase 8 and caspase 3. Oxidative stress was reflected by significant time-dependent changes in SOD and GSH-Px activity, and MDA content. Taken together, our data suggest that CS exposure induces testis injury, which is related to the increased oxidative stress and activation of the FAS/FASL apoptotic pathway in the testes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from Kazak individuals with normal glucose tolerance (KNGT) significantly reduces plasma glycolipid levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus db/db mice. However, the mechanism behind this effect has not been reported. To study the mechanism of improved glycolipid disorders in db/db mice by FMT from a KNGT donor. The normal diet group consisted of db/m mice orally administered 0.2 mL phosphate buffer saline (PBS) (db/m + PBS). For the db/db + PBS (Vehicle) and db/db + KNGT (FMT intervention group) groups, db/db mice received oral 0.2 mL PBS or faecal microorganisms from a KNGT donor, respectively. All mice were treated daily for 0, 6 or 10 weeks. Faecal DNA samples were sequenced and quantified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and RT-qPCR, respectively. Short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels in the mouse faeces were determined by gas chromatography. G protein-coupled receptor 43 (GPR43) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) expression levels were determined. FMT intervention significantly increased the relative abundance of Bacteroides uniformis (0.038%, p < 0.05). Clostridium levels (LogSQ) were increased (p < 0.01), while Mucispirillum schaedleri levels (LogSQ) were decreased (p < 0.01). Acetate and butyrate levels in the faeces were significantly increased (acetate; butyrate: 22.68 ± 1.82 mmol/L; 4.13 ± 1.09 mmol/L, p < 0.05). GPR43 mRNA expression and GLP-1 protein expression increased in colon tissue (p < 0.05). Mechanistically, FMT-KNGT could improve glycolipid disorders by changing the bacterial composition responsible for producing SCFAs and activating the GPR43/GLP-1 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionogels is a kind of hybrid materials composed of ionic liquids (ILs) and solid polymer network matrix, has been extensively investigated in the most recent decade. Due to the excellent mechanical properties and ionic conductivity, their promising applications in flexible stress and strain sensors have been proposed and explosively developed. In this review, we briefly summarize research progresses on ionogel based flexible stress and strain sensors (IFSSs) from five aspects, including material synthesis, device fabrication, working principles, characteristics and performances, and potential applications. Some outlooks and perspectives are also proposed at the end of review. The review is expected to provide reference and new insights into the research of IFSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image change detection has good application prospects in the domain of remote sensing image processing. However, the accuracy of change detection is negatively affected by the inherent speckle noise in SAR images. To solve this problem, a method based on sparse representation (SR) and a capsule network is proposed. Firstly, sparse features of the difference image (DI) are extracted by the SR method. Secondly, a lightweight capsule network (L-CapsNet) is constructed, which is used to mine the spatial relationship between features. The network classifies the changed and unchanged pixels. Finally, the change map (CM) is generated. The proposed method can obtain more robust features while reducing the influence of speckle noise. Experiments are performed on four SAR data sets to compare the proposed method with related methods. The results confirm the superior performance of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]