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ABSTRACTThis paper proposes a new concept of binary -dependent average dwell time, which describes different types of switching signals by the different grouping function $ \mathcal {B}\digamma $ Bϝfor switched systems. Then, combing with the improved multiple Lyapunov function approach, the issues of stability and stabilisation for switched linear systems under the proposed strategy are investigated for the first time, which unify the classical average dwell time (ADT), mode dependent ADT, edge dependent ADT, and Φ dependent ADT, and are more flexible and practical than other existing criteria. Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the obtained results.

In order to ameliorate microstructure and optimize properties of Inconel 718 alloy, a novel heat treatment method combining high-temperature ultra-short annealing at 980 °C for 1 min with subsequent double aging was proposed. The results showed that ultra-short annealing generated partially recrystallized microstructure and recrystallized nuclei were formed even in deformed grains, which was confirmed by KAM maps. Therefore, high-temperature ultra-short annealing overcame recrystallization barrier, and the subsequent recrystallization process could be completed during aging treatment with relatively low temperature, resulting in the uniformly refined microstructure (∼3.59 µm). The 980-1min-aged sample exhibited outstanding tensile properties. The room temperature ultimate strength and total elongation were 1600 MPa and 19%, respectively. The corresponding values of high- temperature (650 °C) tensile tests were ∼1350 MPa and ∼26%. Consequently, ultra-short annealing can be a promising route to enhance the properties of Inconel 718 alloy.

Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) site poses diagnostic challenges due to its elusive nature. Many cases of CUP manifest as pleural and peritoneal serous effusions. Leveraging cytological images from 57,220 cases at four tertiary hospitals, we developed a deep-learning method for tumor origin differentiation using cytological histology (TORCH) that can identify malignancy and predict tumor origin in both hydrothorax and ascites. We examined its performance on three internal (n= 12,799) and two external (n= 14,538) testing sets. In both internal and external testing sets, TORCH achieved area under the receiver operating curve values ranging from 0.953 to 0.991 for cancer diagnosis and 0.953 to 0.979 for tumor origin localization. TORCH accurately predicted primary tumor origins, with a top-1 accuracy of 82.6% and top-3 accuracy of 98.9%. Compared with results derived from pathologists, TORCH showed better prediction efficacy (1.677 versus 1.265, P< 0.001), enhancing junior pathologists’ diagnostic scores significantly (1.326 versus 1.101, P< 0.001). Patients with CUP whose initial treatment protocol was concordant with TORCH-predicted origins had better overall survival than those who were administrated discordant treatment (27 versus 17 months, P= 0.006). Our study underscores the potential of TORCH as a valuable ancillary tool in clinical practice, although further validation in randomized trials is warranted.

Accurate moisture prediction aids in taking early preventive measures to minimize damage caused by severe storms, droughts, and floods. The study collected 24 types of statistical data from the Xilingol Grassland, Inner Mongolia, spanning from 2011 to 2021. By integrating Elman, backpropagation (BP), and soil moisture prediction model (Elman‐BP) neural networks, soil moisture to 2 m was predicted. The soil moisture mechanism model analysis revealed that soil moisture is related to water supply rather than directly correlated with time. Based on these findings, a two‐stage soil moisture prediction model was established. In the first stage, the Elman neural network model predicted future precipitation data based on observed values. In the second stage, soil moisture was predicted using a BP neural network model based on predicted precipitation data. Comparing the mean squared errors of training and prediction data across the three models revealed that the Elman‐BP neural network had superior predictive accuracy. The maximum relative errors for the trained Elman neural network, BP neural network, and Elman‐BP model were 31.35%, 20.98%, and 3.94%. Overall, results showed a link between soil moisture and water supply and that soil moisture decreased with increasing temperatures. Soil moisture at 10‐ and 40‐cm depths was increased with increasing rainfall. Furthermore, a delay exists between the 40‐ and 100‐cm soil depths. Moreover, soil moisture stability increased with depth. Accurate soil moisture prediction aids disaster preparedness, reducing damage from severe weather.By comparing three models and making optimal model selection, the maximum error decreased from 31.15% to 94%.Enhance data presentation through vivid visualization to effectively display soil moisture prediction outcomes.The BP‐Elman neural network integrates soil moisture–rainfall–surface evaporation, boosting prediction accuracy.Long‐term data: 11‐year Xilingol Grassland data evaluates models.

C32H48CoMo2N16O7, triclinic, P1‾$P\overline{1}$ (no. 2), a= 10.425(2) Å, b= 10.517(2) Å, c= 11.187(2) Å, α= 94.671(7)°, β= 112.270(6)°, γ= 104.108(7)°, V= 1080.0(3) Å3, Z= 1, Rgt(F) = 0.0407, wRref(F2) = 0.1015, T = 273 K.

Sporadic or late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) accounts for more than 95% of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) cases without any family history. Although genome-wide association studies have identified associated risk genes and loci for LOAD, numerous studies suggest that many adverse environmental factors, such as social isolation, are associated with an increased risk of dementia. However, the underlying mechanisms of social isolation in AD progression remain elusive. In the current study, we found that 7 days of social isolation could trigger pattern separation impairments and presynaptic abnormalities of the mossy fibre-CA3 circuit in AD mice. We also revealed that social isolation disrupted histone acetylation and resulted in the downregulation of 2 dentate gyrus (DG)-enriched miRNAs, which simultaneously target reticulon 3 (RTN3), an endoplasmic reticulum protein that aggregates in presynaptic regions to disturb the formation of functional mossy fibre boutons (MFBs) by recruiting multiple mitochondrial and vesicle-related proteins. Interestingly, the aggregation of RTN3 also recruits the PP2A B subunits to suppress PP2A activity and induce tau hyperphosphorylation, which, in turn, further elevates RTN3 and forms a vicious cycle. Finally, using an artificial intelligence-assisted molecular docking approach, we determined that senktide, a selective agonist of neurokinin3 receptors (NK3R), could reduce the binding of RTN3 with its partners. Moreover, application of senktide in vivoeffectively restored DG circuit disorders in socially isolated AD mice. Taken together, our findings not only demonstrate the epigenetic regulatory mechanism underlying mossy fibre synaptic disorders orchestrated by social isolation and tau pathology but also reveal a novel potential therapeutic strategy for AD.

This paper aims to address the problem of packet dropout and limited bandwidth in networked control systems (NCSs) and takes Lyapunov stability theory and linear matrix inequality (LMI) as basic tools. Then, the output feedback H∞control problem for a class of discrete-time nonlinear NCSs with dynamic quantization and packet dropout via the self-triggered mechanism (STM) is investigated. The Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model is introduced to represent the considered discrete-time nonlinear system. The dynamic quantization strategy in which the quantization parameters can be on-line adjusted is designed, and a Bernoulli process to represent the packet dropout phenomenon is introduced. In addition, the STM which possesses the distinctive feature of predicting the next triggered instant according to the current output of the system is presented. A condition of the closed-loop stability for NCS and the existence condition of the observer-based controller satisfying H∞performance are obtained by applying the Lyapunov method and cone complementary linearization approach, respectively. Finally, a simulation of continuous stirred tank reactor system is carried out to verify the effectiveness of the provided method.

As the elderly population expands, the pursuit of therapeutics to reduce morbidity and extend lifespan has become increasingly crucial. As an FDA-approved drug for chronic cholestatic liver diseases, tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), a natural bile acid, offers additional health benefits beyond liver protection. Here, we show that TUDCA extends the lifespan and healthspan of C. elegans. Importantly, oral supplementation of TUDCA improves fitness in old mice, including clinically relevant phenotypes, exercise capacity and cognitive function. Consistently, TUDCA treatment drives broad transcriptional changes correlated with anti-aging characteristics. Mechanistically, we discover that TUDCA targets the chaperone HSP90 to promote its protein refolding activity. This collaboration further alleviates aging-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and facilitates protein homeostasis, thus offering resistance to aging. In summary, our findings uncover new molecular links between an endogenous metabolite and protein homeostasis, and propose a novel anti-aging strategy that could improve both lifespan and healthspan.

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The crystallography of transformation products with different cooling rates has been investigated in a typical low-carbon alloy steel, and its effect on low-temperature impact toughness uniformity in the thickness direction of heavy steel plates has been elucidated. The results show that both the full lath martenite (LM) microstructure transformed at the cooling rate of 45 K s−1and granular bainite (GB) + lath bainite (LB) + LM microstructure transformed at the cooling rates of 3∼6 K s−1have higher density of high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs). The density of HAGBs in the full GB microstructure transformed at the cooling rate of 0.5 K s−1is the lowest, and that in the LB + LM microstructure transformed at the cooling rates of 15∼22 K s−1is the middle. In the GB + LB + LM microstructure, the division of austenite by multi-stage transformation reduces the LB and LM transformation temperatures, contributing to a weakening of variant selection and a tendency to close-packed plane grouping. Therefore, the GB + LB + LM microstructure achieves the refinement degree similar to the full LM microstructure, but slightly higher than that of the LB + LM microstructure. For the 60 mm thick heavy steel plate with ultra-fast cooling, the cooling rate decreases from 41 K s−1at the subsurface to 14 K s−1at the 1/4-thickness and then to 4 K s−1at the 1/2-thickness. The full LM microstructure, LB + LM microstructure, and GB + LB + LM microstructure are obtained in sequence, resulting in a more uniform density of HAGBs. Consequently, the relatively uniform impact toughness at 143 K in the thickness direction is achieved with a small difference of ∼30 J.

Coated Co9S8/carbon nanotube (Co9S8/2CNTs) microspheres were constructed and successfully applied to aqueous ammonium-ion batteries. The introduction of carbon nanotubes in the Co9S8microspheres increased the electronic conductivity, shortened the diffusion distance for NH4+ions and improved the buffering ability against volume changes in the cycling processes. As a result, Co9S8/2CNTs microspheres had a reversible capacity of 112 mA·h/g at 0.1 A/g. In addition, the ammonium ion energy storage mechanism accompanied by the formation of reversible phase transition product CoSO4·6H2O and establishment/breaking of intermolecular hydrogen bonds in Co9S8/2CNTs was investigated.

Recovering rare earth elements (REEs) from waste streams represents a sustainable approach to diversify REE supply while alleviating the environmental burden. However, it remains a critical challenge to selectively separate and concentrate REEs from low-grade waste streams. In this study, we developed a new type of biosorbent by immobilizing Lanmodulin-SpyCatcher (LanM-Spycatcher) on the surface of SpyTag-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for selective separation and recovery of REEs from waste streams. The biosorbent, referred to as MNP-LanM, had an adsorption activity of 6.01 ± 0.11 μmol-terbium/g-sorbent and fast adsorption kinetics. The adsorbed REEs could be desorbed with >90% efficiency. The MNP-LanM selectively adsorbed REEs in the presence of a broad range of non-REEs. The protein storage stability of the MNP-LanM increased by two-fold compared to free LanM-SpyCatcher. The MNP-LanM could be efficiently separated using a magnet and reused with high stability as it retained ∼95% of the initial activity after eight adsorption–desorption cycles. Furthermore, the MNP-LanM selectively adsorbed and concentrated REEs from the leachate of coal fly ash and geothermal brine, resulting in 967-fold increase of REE purity. This study provides a scientific basis for developing innovative biosorptive materials for selective and efficient separation and recovery of REEs from low-grade feedstocks.

Heart aging is characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction, which in turn induces a variety of cardiovascular diseases. There is still no therapeutic drug to ameliorate cardiac abnormities in heart aging. In this study we investigated the protective effects of berberine (BBR) and its derivative tetrahydroberberrubine (THBru) against heart aging process. Heart aging was induced in mice by injection of D-galactose (D-gal, 120 mg · kg−1· d−1, sc.) for 12 weeks. Meanwhile the mice were orally treated with berberine (50 mg · kg−1· d−1) or THBru (25, 50 mg · kg−1· d−1) for 12 weeks. We showed that BBR and THBru treatment significantly mitigated diastolic dysfunction and cardiac remodeling in D-gal-induced aging mice. Furthermore, treatment with BBR (40 μM) and THBru (20, 40 μM) inhibited D-gal-induced senescence in primary neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes in vitro. Overall, THBru exhibited higher efficacy than BBR at the same dose. We found that the levels of mitophagy were significantly decreased during the aging process in vivo and in vitro, THBru and BBR promoted mitophagy with different potencies. We demonstrated that the mitophagy-inducing effects of THBru resulted from increased mRNA stability of prohibitin 2 (PHB2), a pivotal factor during mitophagy, thereby upregulating PHB2 protein expression. Knockdown of PHB2 effectively reversed the antisenescence effects of THBru in D-gal-treated cardiomyocytes. On the contrary, overexpression of PHB2 promoted mitophagy and retarded cardiomyocyte senescence, as THBru did. In conclusion, this study identifies THBru as a potent antiaging medicine that induces PHB2-mediated mitophagy and suggests its clinical application prospects.

Waterborne diseases are a major public health concern worldwide. Water disinfection is being revolutionized by a new generation of technologies which aim to be effective in inactivating pathogens with minimum chemical and energy input and low risk to the ecosystem and human health. In this study, we created a new bactericidal material by expressing and displaying an antimicrobial peptide HHC10 on the surface of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) bio-beads using synthetic biology. The material, named as bio-beads displayed HHC10 (BDH), had antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coliand Bacillus subtiliswith reduction efficiencies of up to 6 log and 4 log, respectively. BDH retained 88% of the initial antimicrobial activity after 35 days storage, while the activity of free HHC10 peptide declined to 61%. BDH was effective in removing E. coliand B. subtilisin real-world surface water samples and had higher bacterial reduction efficiency than that in PBS buffer. Experimental results provided evidence that ionic strength is a key factor affecting the antimicrobial activity of BDH. This study reports, for the first time, the development of antimicrobial peptide-functionalized bio-beads as an effective bactericidal material, which can contribute to the development of future biomaterial-based technology for water disinfection.

The high toxicity of phosgene poses potential threats to public health and safety. In this work, a novel fluorescent probe was designed to detect phosgene using hydroxyl and pyrazole moieties as the recognition sites. The response to phosgene with probe 1was fast (less than 30 s), highly selective and sensitive with the limit of detection being 4.78 nM in solution. Furthermore, probe 1was employed to conveniently fabricate paper test strips for efficiently detecting phosgene gas. The limit of detection was obtained as 0.014 ppm by using a smartphone RGB app, revealing that probe 1has good prospects for sensitively detecting phosgene gas.

As a significant kind of reactive oxygen species (ROS), peroxynitrite (ONOO−) plays an indispensable role in many physiological and pathological processes. This study aimed to synthesize a novel dihydro-benzo[4,5]imidazo[1,2-c]quinazoline-based probe 1for detecting ONOO−. In 99.5% H2O solution, probe 1displayed a distinct aggregation-induced ratiometric emission (AIRE), and would selectively respond toward ONOO−viaa ratiometric fluorescent signal, along with a short response time (<30 s) and ultra-sensitivity (LOD = 17.6 nM). Moreover, the probe was applied for monitoring the concentration fluctuations of ONOO−in HeLa cells and zebrafish.

ABSTRACTFoamy viruses belong to the Spumaretrovirinaesubfamily member of the Retroviridaefamily and produce nonpathogenic infection to hosts in the natural conditions. However, infections of foamy viruses can dramatically cause severe cytopathic effects in vitro. To date, the exact molecular mechanism has remained unclear which implied the tremendous importance of virus-host cell immune reactions. In this study, we found that the transactivator Tas in two foamy viruses isolated from Old World Monkey (OWM) induced obvious inhibition of cell proliferation via the upregulation of Foxo3a expression. It was mediated by the generation of ROS and the initiation of ER stress, and ultimately, the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway was triggered. Notably, PFV Tas contributed to the accumulation of G0/G1 phase cycle arrest induced by the activation of the p53 signaling pathway and the nuclear transportation of HDAC4 via upregulating PPM1E expression. Together, these results demonstrated the different survival strategies by which foamy virus can hijack host cell cytokines and regulate virus-host cell interactions.

In this work, we investigate the self-rectifying behaviors of the resistive random access memory (RRAM) fabricated on n-Ge substrates, featuring an ultrahigh rectifying ratio (> $10^{{5}}$ ), a high ON/ OFF ratio (>500), and low operation voltages. The excellent performances of the Ge-based RRAM in this study are attributed to the Fermi-level pinning (FLP) near the valence band edge of n-Ge through the localized conductive filaments in HfO2. In addition, the underlying mechanism of the FLP behaviors in RRAM on n-Ge substrates is discussed. The electrical properties of the self-rectifying RRAM, including superior data retention, excellent uniformity, decent switching speed, endurance, and robust read/write disturbance immunity, are characterized comprehensively. The FLP-induced superior rectifying behaviors and excellent electrical properties of the RRAM enable the potential application of the high-density nonvolatile memory.

Accurate forecasting of energy consumption in office buildings is of great importance for optimal management of energy consumption and reduction of building energy consumption. A variety of combination forecasting models (FMs) have become the current research hotspots in the field of building energy consumption forecasting. For the problems of large systematic errors and poor generalization ability of existing combination FMs, this paper proposes a dynamic combination residual forecasting model (FM) with the optimal combination approach. Firstly, support vector regression (SVR) is selected as the basic FM, and the SVR residual errors are forecasted by the dynamic combination FM based on the weights, and the SVR forecast value is finally corrected. Further, the basis for the selection of the single FM in the combination model and the optimal number of combination terms are given by mathematical proof in this paper. A case study in Xi’an shows that the dynamic combined residual errors correction FM with the optimal number of terms proposed in this paper can reduce the mean absolute error (MAE) of the basic model from 1918.59 kW to 349.37 kW, the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) from 15.80% to 2.96%, and the root mean square error (RMSE) from 2278.74 to 471.44.

A clear understanding of multiphase flow with phase change is of great significance in productivity evaluation, process optimization, and production analysis, which is one of the focus issues of underbalanced drilling. In the process of underbalanced drilling, the annular flow is very complex. To drill safely and protect the reservoir, the dynamic separation process of dissolved natural gas and the characteristics of downhole multiphase flow are studied in this paper. Focusing on the characteristics of live crude oil and physical parameters in the wellbore, the authors creatively consider the influence of the velocity on the solubility and establish a mathematical model of multi-physical field non-equilibrium phase change and multiphase flow considering velocity, temperature and pressure. According to the established mathematical model, the solubility diagram of natural gas is drawn, and the evolution law of flow parameters is analyzed. The results show that the influence of the three factors on solubility is that the influence of pressure is greater than that of temperature, and the influence of temperature is greater than that of flow velocity. The effect of flow velocity on annular pressure, temperature and phase content does not seem to be very great in the natural gas solubility model. However, the dissolved gas in the wellbore separates earlier when considering the velocity than when the velocity is not considered. It is concluded that the research presented here confirms that the influence of flow velocity cannot be ignored. The innovative mathematical model in this paper takes into account the effect of flow velocity on non-equilibrium multiphase flow with phase change. By using the model developed, a better understanding can be obtained of what the phase change characteristics of downhole fluid are and how the multiphase flow laws will change, which is of great significance to reservoir protection and drilling safety.

A novel processing route involving twin-roll casting and two-stage cold rolling was proposed to manufacture Inconel 718 alloy. Due to the sub-rapid solidification rate (412.5 °C/s) of as-cast strip, the element segregation can be alleviated and the growth of Laves phase was effectively suppressed. It was also observed that the dissolution of Laves phases during subsequent homogenization was significantly accelerated because of their refined size. The corresponding homogenization time can be shortened from dozens of hours to 1 h. Additionally, the non-uniform microstructure of cold-rolled and annealed samples caused by coarse grains from homogenization treatment can be eliminated by two-stage cold rolling method. Furthermore, a large amount of granular δ phases precipitated during intermediate annealing. After double aging treatment, the final products exhibited an excellent combination of strength and elongation. The ultimate tensile strength when deformed at room temperature and at 650 °C were about 1475 and 1120 MPa, and the corresponding total elongation were ∼ 15% and ∼ 22%. These results indicated that the twin-roll casting was a promising route to produce Inconel 718 alloy.

AbstractThe essential oils from the stem of Etlingera velutinawas obtained by a Clevenger-apparatus and the chemical composition of the volatile oil was identified using GC-FID and GC-MS methods. the oil consists of sesquiterpene hydrocarbon. α-Cubebene (29.98%) and 2-undecanone (20.04%) were the main components for the rhizome oil. In the cellular and molecular part of this study, the MTT assay was run to treat of the cell lines by EO for evaluation of the cytotoxicity and anti-human gastric cancer properties of EO. The results revealed a dose-dependently on the viability of malignant gastric cell line. The IC50of EO were 376 and 371 μg/mL against NCI-N87 and MKN45 cell lines, respectively. For antioxidant analysis, the IC50of 192 μg/mL was obtained for radical scavenging activity of EO against DPPH.

While direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical drug advertising has been the center of controversy, proponents argue these ads provide educational and social benefits. This study explores the potential of these ads to address one of the proposed social benefits of reducing racial health disparities, particularly for African Americans. To examine this issue, a content analysis was conducted on DTC pharmaceutical television commercials assessing the presence and role portrayal of Black models in the ads. Findings revealed that Blacks were well represented overall but appeared to serve a token role and were underrepresented in ads for some of the most serious health conditions. KEYWORDS African American/Black, direct-to-consumer, health disparities, prescription drug advertising, race representation DOI: 10.1080/07359680903304328

In this paper, a silica-based D-shaped circular photonic crystal fiber Bragg grating sensor for refractive index sensing is proposed theoretically. D-shaped fiber construction can effectively enhance the coupling effect between the guiding mode and external liquid analyte, which then causes a distinct shift in the typical reflection spectrum as the refractive index of the analyte varies. This design exhibits highly improved sensitivity of 487 nm/RIU in a large refractive index range from 1.30 to 1.40 compared with the previous fiber grating sensors. Study of the dependence of sensing performance on the structure parameters suggests that the resonance peak shifts towards longer wavelengths with the increased air-hole diameter of fiber, while it is almost immobile as the hole spacing and the number of air-hole layers change in a certain range. For the influence of the Bragg grating structure, results show that the resonance peak is not sensitive to the grating length, but linearly increases as the grating period expands. The effects of polishing depth and fiber preparation error on the sensor are also discussed in detail. This high-sensitivity sensor based on a D-shaped photonic crystal fiber and Bragg grating has great potential in biochemical detection, environmental monitoring, and medical sensing.

Plastic waste has caused a global environmental crisis. Biocatalytic depolymerization mediated by enzymes has emerged as an efficient and sustainable alternative for plastic treatment and recycling. However, it is challenging and time-consuming to discover novel plastic-degrading enzymes using conventional cultivation-based or omics methods. There is a growing interest in developing effective computational methods to identify new enzymes with desirable plastic degradation functionalities by exploring the ever-increasing databases of protein sequences. In this study, we designed an innovative machine learning-based framework, named PEZy-Miner, to mine for enzymes with high potential in degrading plastics of interest. Two datasets integrating information from experimentally verified enzymes and homologs with unknown plastic-degrading activity were created respectively, covering eleven types of plastic substrates. Protein language models and binary classification models were developed to predict enzymatic degradation of plastics along with confidence and uncertainty estimation. PEZy-Miner exhibited high prediction accuracy and stability when validated on experimentally verified enzymes. Furthermore, by masking the experimentally verified enzymes and blending them into homolog dataset, PEZy-Miner effectively concentrated the experimentally verified entries by 14∼30 times while shortlisting promising plastic-degrading enzyme candidates. We applied PEZy-Miner to 0.1 million putative sequences, out of which 27 new sequences were identified with high confidence. This study provided a new computational tool for mining and recommending promising new plastic-degrading enzymes.

Natural gas hydrate saturation (NGHS) in reservoirs is one of the critical parameters for evaluating natural gas hydrate resource reserves. Current widely-accepted evaluation methods developed for evaluating conventional natural gas saturation in reservoirs, to some extents, are not sufficient enough to obtain accurate predicted results. In light of the equivalent medium theory, the natural gas hydrate is regarded as the fluid (Mode A) when NGHS is relatively low, while it is regarded as the rock matrix (Mode B) when NGHS is high. Two mathematical model are then developed for evaluating NGHS at Mode A and B. Experimental verification shows that R2of the predicted results based upon the proposed model is 0.968, and the average absolute relative error percentage is 8.90%. The error of the predicted results gradually decreases with increasing NGHS, whereas increases with increasing confining pressure. In addition, the proposed model has been applied to the 142.9–147.7 m well section of Well DK-1 in the permafrost region, Qilian Mountains. The results show that the error of the predicted results is less than 13.92%, with its average error being 10.51%. The predicted value gradually increases with its error decreasing as the depth continues to increase, which is consistent with the change behavior of measured data. NGHS evaluation method proposed in this paper fully considers the occurrence form of natural gas hydrate in reservoirs. The model parameters are easy to determine and the predicted results are reliable.

As a growing number of people go on-line for health- and drug-related information, pharmaceutical companies devote significant resources to direct-to-consumer (DTC) promotions on the Web. Little is known about how DTC advertising of prescription drugs on the Web impacts patient--physician interactions, however. This study identified and investigated the influence of credibility perception of the Web for information related to prescription drugs, overall attitudes toward DTC advertising, and age on consumers' inquiries and requests for prescription drugs advertised on the Web. Findings of this study suggest that Web credibility and attitudes toward DTC advertising in general exert significant influence on consumer response to DTC advertising on the Web in the form of patient--physician interactions., Increasingly, people these days go on-line for health-related information. The number of American adults who look for health or medical information on-line has rapidly increased from 52 million in 2000 [...]

Using celebrities to promote products is a popular advertising technique around the world. However, little is known about how the implementation of celebrity endorsement varies according to dominant cultural values. This study content-analyzed television commercials featuring celebrities from two diametrically different countries--the United States and Korea--in terms of two fundamental cultural dimensions: (1) low versus high context, and (2) individualism versus collectivism. Findings of this study suggest that the strategic use and creative executions of celebrity endorsement mirror the respective prevalent cultural orientations in the two countries, although some similarities do exist. Extensive discussion and suggestions for future research are provided., Today's American society is said to be fascinated with celebrities (Schickel 1985). Many successful individuals from a variety of fields, ranging from entertainment to sports, cuisine, business, and politics, are [...]

With the size of ethnic minority groups expanding and their disposable income increasing, the consumption landscape and media environment are constantly evolving. It is important for advertisers to understand how [...]

As typical pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), metronidazole (MNZ) and bisphenol A (BPA) normally presented in sewage effluent and surface water. The nitrogen-doped multi-walled carbon nanotube (NCNT) membrane was prepared and utilized as a peroxymonosulphate (PMS) catalyst to degrade MNZ and BPA. Within the NCNT membrane/PMS catalytic system, MNZ and BPA can be efficiently degraded, while different catalytic degradation mechanism exists related with their structure, adsorption properties and even PMS dosage. The optimal conditions for the degradation of MNZ and BPA were investigated. Quenching tests and electron paramagnetic resonance examination demonstrated that •OH radicals and 1O2played roles in MNZ degradation, while surface-bound radicals and 1O2dominated BPA degradation within the NCNT membrane catalytic PMS system. Electrochemical tests proved that an electron-transfer process between NCNT membrane and PMS during MNZ degradation, and the electron-transfer process was further verified with the degradation experiment in the binary-solute system (BPA and MNZ). PMS dosage had little influence on the degradation mechanism of MNZ and BPA.

Heart aging is characterized by structural and diastolic dysfunction of the heart. However, there is still no effective drug to prevent and treat the abnormal changes in cardiac function caused by aging. Here, we present the preventive effects of emodin and its derivative Kanglexin (KLX) against heart aging. We found that the diastolic dysfunction and cardiac remodeling in mice with D-galactose (D-gal)-induced aging were markedly mitigated by KLX and emodin. In addition, the senescence of neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes induced by D-gal was also reversed by KLX and emodin treatment. However, KLX exhibited better anti-heart aging effects than emodin at the same dose. Dysregulated mitophagy was observed in aging hearts and in senescent neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes, and KLX produced a greater increase in mitophagy than emodin. The mitophagy-promoting effects of KLX and emodin were ascribed to their abilities to enhance the protein stability of Parkin, a key modulator in mitophagy, with different potencies. Molecular docking and SPR analysis demonstrated that KLX has a higher affinity for the ubiquitin-like (UBL) domain of Parkin than emodin. The UBL domain might contribute to the stabilizing effects of KLX on Parkin. In conclusion, this study identifies KLX and emodin as effective anti-heart aging drugs that activate Parkin-mediated mitophagy and outlines their putative therapeutic importance.

Methanol has been used to prevent hydrate formation in industrial handling of hydrate forming mixtures containing water for many decades. Ethanol is also used for the same purpose in countries that have easy access to low price ethanol, like for instance Brasil. Common to these small alcohols is that they also have surfactant properties that will promote hydrate formation, but when added to water in sufficient amounts, the hydrate prevention characteristics will dominate. These alcohols will primarily prevent heterogeneous hydrate formation on the interface between water and a separate hydrate phase. The effect of “alcohol” on both of these routes to hydrate formation are investigated and compared to experimental data. In particular we also investigate the effects of these small alcohols on Gibbs free energy for the hydrate formed on the new, shifted, stability conditions. Gibbs free energy is generally higher than hydrate formed from pure water. Enthalpies of hydrate formation are also higher for hydrate formed from water containing alcohols. These are negative numbers, so in absolute values released formation enthalpy is lower. The presence of these alcohols in water will also prevent homogeneous hydrate formation from dissolved hydrate formers in water. Glycols have more important roles in other routes to hydrate nucleation. Heterogeneous hydrate nucleation towards mineral surfaces is feasible in different ways. Polar hydrate formers like H2S and CO2can adsorb directly on rust, and as discussed here, are able to form hydrate from adsorbed state on rust surface. Non-polar hydrocarbons like, for instance methane might get trapped in structured water and then nucleate to hydrate. Some research on this is published and further research is in progress. Glycols have very strong attraction to rust and corresponding chemical potentials for adsorbed glycols on rust are favourable enough to facilitate phase transition from glycols dissolved in water over to adsorption. Injection of glycol in gas processing plants has been used by industry for many years and in many cases it might even be economically and technically feasible compared to expensive drying units. Exceptions are situations that will lead to water/glycol freezing. But even in multiphase transport of hydrocarbons with various water cuts, mixtures of alcohols might be a technically efficient solution in which the small alcohols may be very efficient as discussed above and glycols may go through adsorption phase transition from water solution over to glycol film on rust and prevent hydrate nucleation towards rust surface. This possible strategy requires more theoretical work as well as experimental investigation. On the basis of thermodynamic analysis and calculations of hydrate formation from different routes, it is argued that real natural and industrial systems are unable to reach thermodynamic equilibrium. It is therefore a need for a consistent thermodynamic platform with a uniform reference system for all phases. We propose and demonstrate a residual thermodynamic model system for all phases.

ABSTRACTLong non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 gene (PVT1) is related to the progress of various cancers. Here, we illuminated the role of PVT1 in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell proliferation and apoptosis. PVT1 was upregulated in plasma samples from patients with ALL and ALL cell lines. PVT1 silencing repressed cell viability and enhanced cell apoptosis in Jurkat and SUP-B15 cells. PVT1 targeted microRNA-486-5p (miR-486-5p) and negatively modulated miR-486-5p expression. Upregulation of miR-486-5p decreased cell viability and increased ALL cell apoptosis. Mastermind Like Transcriptional Coactivator 3 (MAML3) was a downstream molecule of miR-486-5p and miR-486-5p mimic transfection weakened its expression in ALL cells. Rescue experiments proved that reintroduction of PVT1 counteracted the impacts of miR-486-5p in ALL cell proliferation and apoptosis. In vivo, PVT1 silencing repressed the tumor growth of SUP-B15 cells and reduced the expression of MAML3. Altogether, silencing of PVT1 inhibited ALL cell growth and induced cell apoptosis through sponging miR-486-5p.

It is easy to change the original temperature state of marine gas hydrate reservoir by drilling, which leads to uncontrollable decomposition of gas hydrate and release of large amount of gas. The decomposition gas will further escape and expand, and the reservoir will break and collapse due to its weak cementation characteristic, which will easily lead to a series of other potential risks. Therefore, in this study, based on the drilling process of marine gas hydrate, we establish the theoretical model and numerical calculation method of wellbore temperature field, analyze the influence on wellbore temperature of drilling fluid displacement, density, viscosity and injection temperature, and seawater depth. Then the sensitivity laws of reservoir risk in marine gas hydrate drilling are obtained. The results show that with the increase of drilling fluid displacement, density, viscosity and injection temperature, the temperature in lower well section and bottom hole will increase, making the increasing amplitude of temperature in hydrate reservoir larger and the scope of influence on hydrate reservoir stability bigger. Moreover, drilling is more likely to raise the temperature of reservoirs in shallow seawater depth, posing greater risks. Thus, engineering measures to avoid risks caused by rising reservoir temperature in marine gas hydrate reservoir drilling are presented. This study is of great significance to ensure the safety of marine gas hydrate reservoir drilling.

Mineral surfaces adsorb water to extreme densities and corresponding low chemical potentials. This results in a dual effect in terms of hydrate. Water and slightly polar components adsorb directly on mineral surfaces and generate efficient conditions for hydrate nucleation. But due to the extremely low chemical potential of adsorbed water the hydrate nuclei formed towards mineral surfaces have to either detach from the vicinity of mineral surfaces, or be bridged by structured water in a dynamic attachment of hydrate cores some few nm outside mineral surfaces. During transport of gas (CH4, gas mixtures, CO2) the conventional water dew-point analysis will typically result in a substantially higher acceptable water concentration as compared to the concentration for adsorption of water from gas to rust surface. Direct formation of hydrate from water dissolved in gas is thermodynamically feasible, as discussed in open literature. In this work we demonstrate that it is also feasible in terms of mass transport. A new theory for enthalpy of hydrate dissociation has been extended to also direct hydrate formation from water dissolved in gas. The remaining question is whether direct hydrate formation from gas is also feasible in terms of transporting the hydrate formation heat away through a heat insulating medium. We propose further research strategies to enlighten this issue. Addition of glycols to critical points in processing of gas or transport is already in use by companies like for instance EQUINOR. There is, however, a need for more work on how efficient it is and if it can also be used for multiphase transport of hydrocarbons with significant water cut. Some research activities are in progress and briefly outlined here.

ABSTRACTNorovirus (NoV) has been recognized as a leading cause of gastroenteritis worldwide. This review estimates the prevalence and genotype distribution of NoV in China to provide a sound reference for vaccine development. Studies were searched up to October 2020 from CNKI database and inclusion criteria were study duration of at least one calendar year and population size of >100. The mean overall NoV prevalence in individuals with sporadic diarrhea/gastroenteritis was 16.68% (20796/124649, 95% CI 16.63–16.72), and the detection rate of NoV was the highest among children. Non-GII.4 strains have replaced GII.4 as the predominant caused multiple outbreaks since 2014. Especially the recombinant GII.P16-GII.2 increased sharply, and virologic data show that the polymerase GII.P16 rather than VP1 triggers pandemic. Due to genetic diversity and rapid evolution, predominant genotypes might change unexpectedly, which has become major obstacle for the development of effective NoV vaccines.

The purpose of this article is to investigate how well the US educational programme fulfils the current needs of international advertising. A two-part study was conducted to determine the practical value of international advertising education by comparing what is offered in the classroom with the hiring standards used by top international advertising agencies. The results show that current international advertising education in the US is still considered to be a peripheral subject by most advertising programmes. Similarly, advertising practitioners also did not perceive the specific exposure to international advertising to be an important element for international positions.

Immobilization of proteins on magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) is an effective approach to improve protein stability and facilitate separation of immobilized proteins for repeated use. Herein, we exploited the efficient SpyTag-SpyCatcher chemistry for conjugation of functional proteins onto MNPs and established a robust magnetic-responsive nanoparticle platform for protein immobilization. To maximize the loading capacity and achieve outstanding water dispersity, the SpyTag peptide was incorporated into the surface-charged polymers of MNPs, which provided abundant active sites for Spy chemistry while maintaining excellent colloidal stability in buffer solution. Conjugation between enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP)-SpyCatcher-fused proteins and SpyTag-functionalized MNPs was efficient at ambient conditions without adding enzymes or chemical cross-linkers. Benefiting from the excellent water dispersity and interface compatibility, the surface Spy reaction has fast kinetics, which is comparable to that of the solution Spy reaction. No activity loss was observed on EGFP after conjugation due to the site-selective nature of Spy chemistry. The immobilization process of EGFP on MNPs was highly specific and robust, which was not affected by the presence of other proteins and detergents, such as bovine serum albumin and Tween 20. The MNP platform was demonstrated to be protective to the conjugated EGFP and significantly improved the shelf life of immobilized proteins. In addition, experiments confirmed the retained magnetophoresis of the MNP after protein loading, demonstrating fast MNP recovery under an external magnetic field. This MNP is expected to provide a versatile and modular platform to achieve effective and specific immobilization of other functional proteins, enabling easy reuse and storage.

Bi2WO6nanoplate/TiO2nanowire and Bi2WO6nanoflower/TiO2nanowire composite films were successfully prepared using a hydrothermal method. The results show that the light absorption for Bi2WO6/TiO2composite films is extended to the visible region after Bi2WO6nanoplates and nanoflowers are assembled onto TiO2nanowires. Furthermore, Bi2WO6nanoflower/TiO2nanowire composite film exhibits a better absorption property compared to Bi2WO6nanoplate/TiO2nanowire film, which is mainly ascribed to the narrower bandgap of Bi2WO6nanoflower compared to that of Bi2WO6nanoplate. The photocurrent density for Bi2WO6nanoflower/TiO2nanowire and Bi2WO6nanoplate/TiO2nanowire composite films can reach 95 and 62.5 μA cm−2, respectively, which are much higher than that obtained for a pure TiO2nanowire film (25 μA cm−2). Meanwhile, under illumination, the pure TiO2nanowire, Bi2WO6nanoplate/TiO2nanowire and Bi2WO6nanoflower/TiO2nanowire films can reduce the potential of the coupled 304 stainless steel in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution by 299, 719 and 739 mV, respectively. Thus, Bi2WO6nanoflower/TiO2nanowire film is found to provide the best effective photocathodic protection for 304 stainless steel. This work not only provides an example of shape-dependent photocathodic protection based on Bi2WO6but also opens up new possibilities to design an ideal microstructure on the basis of semiconductor materials for future applications of photocathodic protection.

In order to improve the infrared detection and discrimination ability of the smart munition to the dynamic armor target under the complex background, the multi-line array infrared detection system is established based on the combination of the single unit infrared detector. The surface dimension features of ground armored targets are identified by size calculating solution algorithm. The signal response value and the value of size calculating are identified by the method of fuzzy recognition to make the fuzzy classification judgment for armored target. According to the characteristics of the target signal, a custom threshold de-noising function is proposed to solve the problem of signal preprocessing. The multi-line array infrared detection can complete the scanning detection in a large area in a short time with the characteristics of smart munition in the steady-state scanning stage. The method solves the disadvantages of wide scanning interval and low detection probability of single unit infrared detection. By reducing the scanning interval, the number of random rendezvous in the infrared feature area of the upper surface is increased, the accuracy of the size calculating is guaranteed. The experiments results show that in the fuzzy recognition method, the size calculating is introduced as the feature operator, which can improve the recognition ability of the ground armor target with different shape size.

This study investigates (1) how immigrant consumers change their media consumption when they move across cultural boundaries and (2) whether media exposure relates to consumers' acculturation of the new social [...]

Marine gas hydrate is a potential alternative energy. As the 173rd new mineral species, it can be qualitatively divided into diagenetic and non-diagenetic types. Because of its few drilling and production cases, high sampling cost, and great difficulty in heat preservation and pressure preservation technology, the in situtest of reservoir physical properties and the quantitative classification and evaluation of resource grade are not clear, and the relationship between resource-grade division and development-mode response is not clear. Therefore, in this paper, to solve this problem and technical difficulties, in combination with the actual hydrate sampling core data in the South China Sea, using the indoor hydrate acoustoelectric testing device, the physical parameters, such as acoustic wave, resistivity, saturation, permeability, partial stress and strain of hydrate deposits with different composition and saturation, were measured. An entropy weight comprehensive evaluation model for the sensitivity of physical parameters of natural gas hydrate is established on the basis of the decomposed hierarchy process. The order of sensitivity of hydrate parameters from high to low is stress, partial stress, decomposed gas, longitudinal wave, resistivity, permeability, and shear wave. In this paper, the evaluation method of physical parameters of marine natural gas hydrate and the five-grade classification standard of natural gas hydrate are established according to the law of parameter variation and the results of sensitivity analysis. Finally, the Liwan hydrate reservoir in the northern South China Sea is taken as a case study and defined as non-diagenetic grade II, which belongs to argillaceous shallow sedimentary hydrate with high saturation and high methane content without complete trap structure. This study provides an important technical method and theoretical guidance for the evaluation and classification of marine gas hydrate resources and the optimization of corresponding suitable development methods in the future.

The black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) (Hermetia illucens) are a good candidate for poultry and livestock manure treatment. The harvested insect bodies and feces can be used as animal feed and organic fertilizer. However, heavy metals have a negative impact on the transformation process of the manure by BSFL. Here we evaluated the effects of Cd, Cr and As in pig manure on the growth of BSFL, as well as the mobility and changes in speciation of the metals during the transformation process. The results showed that As significantly reduced the weight of BSFL, but Cr and Cd had no significant effects on BSFL growth. The bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) at various concentrations of Cd (2.8–3.7) were significantly higher than those of Cr (0.44–0.62) and As (0.43–0.45). The heavy metals in pig manure were mainly transferred to BSFL feces, and the distribution percentages of Cd, Cr and As in the BSFL feces were 52.6–62.0%, 90.3–94.2% and 93.0–93.3%, respectively. Cd concentrations in BSFL feces were significantly lower than those in the pig manure, while there were no significant differences in the concentrations of Cr and As between BSFL feces and pig manure (except for the treatment with the addition of 150 mg Cr kg−1). The metal speciation (weak acid soluble, reducible, oxidizable and residual fractions) in BSFL feces obviously changed when compared with pig manure. In BSFL feces, the reducible proportion of Cr decreased while the oxidizable proportion increased. Cd mainly existed in the weak acid soluble and reducible states in pig manure and BSFL feces. For As, the proportions of weak acid soluble and reducible states decreased in BSFL feces. After the BSFL transformation process, the bioavailable fraction of Cr decreased by 17.3–23.1%, but those of Cd and As did not change significantly, except for As in the CK group. These findings contribute to our understanding of the roles of BSFL during the biotransformation process of livestock manure as well as the safe utilization of transformed products.

Tropical cyclones (TCs) over the Bay of Bengal (BOB) can interact with the South Branch Trough (SBT) as they move northward and potentially amplify Rossby waves. This study evaluates the features of Rossby waves and their downstream impact on rainfall in South China. Results indicate that TC‐SBT interactions primarily occur in May and October‐November (Oct‐Nov), with probabilities of 59% and 53% respectively. Notably, the Rossby wave train associated with BOB TCs is more pronounced during Oct‐Nov due to the stronger subtropical westerly jet, in contrast to May. The downstream atmospheric response results in positive (negative) rainfall anomalies over South China in May (Oct‐Nov), particularly on the day following the maximum interaction day. Previous researches concerning TC‐extratropical flow interaction mainly focus on other basins where TCs move to higher latitudes, this study provides fresh insights into Rossby waves related to TC‐SBT interactions over the southern Tibetan Plateau. During bimodal periods of tropical cyclone (TC) activity over the Bay of Bengal (BOB) in May and October‐November (Oct‐Nov), the Asian subtropical westerly jet is usually located at lower latitudes over the southern Tibetan Plateau, where South Branch Trough (SBT) is active. We quantified the extent of BOB TC‐SBT interaction based on the negative potential vorticity advection by TC‐associated irrotational wind. The mean location of the TC center and maximum interaction point are around (20°N, 88°E) and (33°N, 89°E), respectively. Rossby wave trains (RWT) associated with BOB TCs may extend eastward to 150°W, dispersing at a faster zonal group speed in May compared to Oct‐Nov. In May, the downstream response in South China featured by amplified upper‐level divergent outflow, intensified mid‐level warm and cold air convergence, and enhanced low‐level southwesterly water vapor transport, which was conducive to precipitation. In Oct‐Nov, the RWT shifted northward and the anticyclone anomaly related to the subtropical high dominated South China, leading to a northward shift in water vapor transport, unfavorable for precipitation in South China. The results are significant for the short‐ to medium‐range weather forecasts in downstream regions of BOB TCs. Tropical cyclones (TC) over the Bay of Bengal (BOB) interacting with the South Branch Trough (SBT) can amplify mid‐latitude Rossby wavesThe Rossby wave associated with interactions between BOB TCs and SBTs is stronger in October‐November than in MayThe atmospheric response results in positive (negative) precipitation anomalies over South China in May (October‐November) Tropical cyclones (TC) over the Bay of Bengal (BOB) interacting with the South Branch Trough (SBT) can amplify mid‐latitude Rossby waves The Rossby wave associated with interactions between BOB TCs and SBTs is stronger in October‐November than in May The atmospheric response results in positive (negative) precipitation anomalies over South China in May (October‐November)