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Cybersecurity has become one of the major challenges for Connected Automated Vehicles. Previous work in this field mostly focused on the detection of and defence against Connected Automated Vehicle‐related cyberattacks. Using performance measures collected from traffic micro‐simulations, the study analysed the traffic impacts of cyberattacks on Connected Automated Vehicles. Two types of adversary models, namely, time‐delay attacks and disturbance attacks, were applied to the simulated traffic on freeway segments and un‐signalised intersections, respectively. The effects of various cyberattacks were evaluated based on safety indicators, including Time‐To‐Collision, Deceleration Rate to Avoid Collision, and efficiency indicators, including speed and flow‐density diagrams. The results revealed that both attacks increase the risk and severity of collisions on freeway segments and un‐signalised intersections. Location‐based time‐delay attacks will result in significant deceleration, congestion and reduction in road throughput. Disturbance attacks not only cause congestion but also result in frequent acceleration/deceleration and uneven distribution of traffic density. The impacts of attacks are more severe on heavy traffic. At un‐signalised intersections, location‐based disturbance attacks lead to a significantly increased risk of right‐angled collisions. The results could help better understand the effects of Connected Automated Vehicle‐related cyberattacks and shed light on proactive defence against such attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The establishment of protected areas (PAs) is a central strategy for global biodiversity conservation. While the role of PAs in protecting habitat has been highlighted, their effectiveness at protecting mammal communities remains unclear. We analyzed a global dataset from over 8671 camera traps in 23 countries on four continents that detected 321 medium‐ to large‐bodied mammal species. We found a strong positive correlation between mammal taxonomic diversity and the proportion of a surveyed area covered by PAs at a global scale (β = 0.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.19–0.60) and in Indomalaya (β = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.19–1.2), as well as between functional diversity and PA coverage in the Nearctic (β = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.09–0.85), after controlling for human disturbances and environmental variation. Functional diversity was only weakly (and insignificantly) correlated with PA coverage at the global scale (β = 0.22, 95% CI = −0.02–0.46), pointing to a need to better understand the functional response of mammal communities to protection. Our study provides important evidence of the global effectiveness of PAs in conserving terrestrial mammals and emphasizes the critical role of area‐based conservation in a post‐2020 biodiversity framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the existing financial system risk models, a set of time-lag financial system risk models is established considering the influence brought by time-lag factors on the financial risk system, and the dynamical behavior of this system is analyzed by using chaos theory. Through Matlab simulation, the bifurcation diagram and phase diagram of time-lag risk intensity and control intensity are plotted. The analysis shows that this kind of time-lag financial system risk model has complex dynamic behavior, different motion states will appear when different parameter values are selected, and the time-lag risk intensity parameter also has a very strong influence on the system motion. To ensure the operation of the financial system in a stable state, measures with certain delay effects must be taken to control the risk and to choose the appropriate time-lag control intensity, and too much or too little time-lag control intensity is not conducive to the benign operation of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Shenfu injection is a popular Chinese herbal formula that has been widely used in the treatment of shock in China. Aim of the study To investigate the effect of Shenfu injection on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced septic shock in rabbits. Materials and methods We established a septic shock model in rabbits by administering an intravenous injection of 0.6 mg/kg LPS to anesthetized rabbit, and 15 min after LPS challenge, the rabbits were intravenously administered the Shenfu injection. In these in vivo experiments, the jugular vein of the rabbits was cannulated for LPS and drug administration, and the right common carotid artery was cannulated to record the mean arterial pressure (MAP) over a 6-h period. In addition, various serum biochemical parameters, including lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), glutamate transaminase (ALT), creatinine (Cre), and urea nitrogen (Urea), were measured at 0, 3, and 6 h. Serum LPS levels at 6 h were determined by the test kit. And histological changes in the heart, liver and kidney tissues were observed by HE staining. Furthermore, some related small molecules in the heart tissues were detected by MALDI-TOF-MSI. Results We found that Shenfu injection can increase the MAP, decrease the serum LPS, LDH and AST levels, and improve the tissue morphology of the heart, liver and kidney in rabbits with LPS-induced septic shock. In addition, Shenfu injection can increase the contents of ATP and taurine while reducing the content of AMP in the heart tissue during septic shock. Conclusions These results indicate that Shenfu injection exerts a protective effect on LPS-induced septic shock in rabbits. Graphical abstract fx1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a common acquired autoimmune disease, and thrombopoietin (TPO) is an important cytokine that regulates the production of megakaryocytes and platelets. We have identified a biologically active component, icaritin, from a Chinese herba epimedii extract. Icaritin promotes platelet production and regulates T cell polarization, but its mechanism is not clear. In this study, the BALB/c mouse model of ITP was established by injection of an antiplatelet antibody every other day for seven total times. The antiplatelet sera were derived from guinea pigs immunized with the platelets of BALB/c mice. Mice with ITP were treated with icaritin at low, moderate, or high doses of 4.73, 9.45, and 18.90 mg/kg, respectively, for fourteen consecutive days. The present study shows that icaritin can significantly increase peripheral blood platelet counts and thrombocytocrit, increase the TPO level in serum, attenuate splenomegaly, and reduce the abnormal proliferation of megakaryocytes in the spleen and bone marrow. Icaritin can also downregulate the expression of bone marrow TPO, myeloproliferative leukemia virus oncogene (MPL), and p-Stat3. Our results suggest that icaritin can significantly improve the health of mice with ITP via possible downregulation of p-Stat3 expression in the JAK2/Stat3 phosphorylation signaling pathway and regulation of bone marrow TPO/MPL metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionic self-assembly, the combination of the building blocks with opposite charge by electrostatic association, has many merits, such as simple, cheap and easy to get, flexible reversible and wide range of applications. In this paper, fibres were synthesized by combining surfactant N, N-dimethylferrocenylmethyl hexadecyl-ammonium bromide (Fc16AB) and fluorescent dye methyl orange (MO) using ionic self-assembly techniques. The morphology of self-assemblies with different concentration are measured and characterized by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that the concentration of Fc16AB and MO has great effects on the morphology of obtained microfibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thymoquinone is one of the main components present in Nigella sativa seeds and is known to have various biological functions in inflammation, oxidative stress, tumors, aging, and in lowering blood glucose levels. Few studies have focused on its neuroprotective effects and its regulation of small-molecule metabolites during cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury. In this study, transient middle cerebral occlusion (tMCAO) was used to establish the rat model of cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury. We investigated the effects of thymoquinone using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) in a model of ischemia reperfusion injury to explore the changes in small-molecule metabolites in the brain. We found that that thymoquinone significantly improved neurobehavioral scores, reduced the cerebral infarct area, alleviated brain edema, and increased the number of normal neurons following injury. MALDI-MSI revealed that thymoquinone reduced abnormal accumulations of glucose, citric acid, succinate and potassium ions. Thymoquinone also increased the amount of energy-related molecules such as ADP, AMP, GMP, and creatine, antioxidants such as glutathione, ascorbic acid, and taurine, and other metabolism-related molecules such as glutamate, glutamine, aspartate, N-acetyl-L-aspartate, and sodium ions in damaged areas of the brain following cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury. In summary, based on the neuroprotective effect of thymoquinone on cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury, this study revealed the regulation of thymoquinone on energy metabolism and small-molecule substance metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of sodium pyrophosphate (NaPP) on the separation of apatite from dolomite by flotation was systematically investigated. Flotation results revealed that NaPP could selectively depress the flotation of apatite, thus realizing the separation of apatite from dolomite. Further, the selective depression mechanism of NaPP was studied through zeta potential measurements, contact angle measurements, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The results demonstrated that the adsorption of sodium oleate (NaOL) onto apatite surface was depressed by the preferential interaction of NaPP with active Ca sites. For dolomite, while the presence of NaPP hindered the interaction of NaOL with active Ca sites, it appeared to enhance the reactivity with active Mg sites. Thus, the adsorption of NaOL onto dolomite surface was hardly influenced. In this way, the separation of apatite from dolomite was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Complement factor H expression was upregulated in the hippocampus of methamphetamine induced behavioral sensitization mice. • C1q expression decreased in mossy fiber of hippocampus in behavioral sensitization mice. • We detected the changes and distribution of various small molecules by MALDI-MS imaging in brain regions of behavioral sensitization mice. Abstract Background At present, the harm of new-type drug, methamphetamine (METH), has gradually exceeded that of the traditional opioid drugs, and METH abuse has become a serious public health and social problem. In our previous study, complement factor H (CFH) was found to be upregulated in the sera of METH-addicted patients and rats and in certain brain regions in the rats. Methods We used ELISA and immunofluorescence to confirm the changes in CFH in the serum and hippocampus of a METH behavioral sensitization mouse model, and C1q expression was also detected by immunofluorescence in the hippocampus. We aimed to elucidate the involvement of CFH and C1q in the mechanism of METH addiction. We also detected the distribution of various small molecules by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) in select brain regions: the nucleus accumbens, the hippocampus and the ventral tegmental area. Results The expression of CFH was upregulated in the serum and hippocampus of METH behavioral sensitization model mice, consistent with our previous research on conditioned place preference rats. In contrast, C1q decreased dramatically in the mossy fibers of the hippocampus. The results of small-molecule imaging by MALDI-MSI showed that the levels of K+, antioxidants, neurotransmitters, and ATP metabolism-related molecules were altered in different regions. Conclusions These results indicate the involvement of the complement system in the mechanism of METH addiction and validate the presence of oxidative stress, energy metabolism changes during addiction. This suggests the utility of further investigation into the above aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dl-3-n-butylphthalide (NBP) has been widely used to treat ischemic stroke in China. To investigate the mechanisms underlying NBP activity, we established a permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) rat model and injected the rats with 4 mg/kg/d NBP for nine days. We then assessed neuroinflammation, neovascularization and nerve regeneration within the brain. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-TOF MSI) was used to determine the phospholipid distribution, while laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry imaging (LA-ICP MSI) was used to measure Foxp3, Ki-67 and pCREB levels in the brain. Immunohistochemistry was used to investigate the expression of NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) and its inflammatory products, caspase-1 and interleukin-1β, in brain tissues. NBP attenuated ischemic damage and ameliorated neurological deficits in rats with pMCAO. In the ischemic brain region, NBP reduced phosphatidylethanolamine (18:0), NLRP3, caspase-1 and interleukin-1β levels, but increased levels of Foxp3, Ki-67, pCREB and several phospholipids. In molecular docking analyses, NBP bound to NLRP3, interleukin-1β, caspase-1, Foxp3, and Ki-67. These results demonstrate that NBP reduces neuroinflammation in brain tissues and promotes nerve and blood vessel regeneration, thus protecting neuromorphology and function.