Search

This study aims to explore the impact of Multimedia-Assisted Teaching (MAT) on the quality of physical education (PE) instruction in universities, with a particular focus on badminton courses. A quasi-experimental design was employed, including pre-tests and post-tests, involving two badminton classes at Ming Chuan University, with a total of 101 students. These two classes were assigned to an experimental group (using MAT) and a control group (traditional teaching methods). The research instrument used was the Physical Education Teaching Quality Scale (PETQ), which includes four factors: course content, teaching strategies, classroom management, and learning assessment. The results indicated that, compared to traditional teaching methods, the use of MAT significantly enhanced students' perception of the quality of PE instruction. The experimental group scored significantly higher than the control group across all scale factors, suggesting that MAT is more effective in capturing students' attention and improving learning outcomes. The conclusion suggests that MAT has significant advantages in improving the quality of physical education instruction. The integration of MAT enables more flexible lesson planning and enhances the learning process through the features of multimedia-assisted teaching. It is recommended that physical education teachers consider applying multimedia technologies to aid teaching, in order to increase student engagement and effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic element which impacts on biological systems and ecosystems. Because the toxicity of Hg species is highly dependent on their concentration levels and chemical forms, the sensitive identification of the chemical forms of Hg—i.e., Hg speciation—is of major significance in providing meaningful information about the sources of Hg exposure. In this study, a microfluidic-based device made of high-clarity poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was fabricated. Then, titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO2s) were attached to the treated channel's interior with the aid of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC). After coupling the nano-TiO2-coated microfluidic-based photocatalyst-assisted reduction device (the nano-TiO2-coated microfluidic-based PCARD) with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), a selective and sensitive, hyphenated system for Hg speciation was established. Validation procedures demonstrated that the method could be satisfactorily applied to the determination of mercury ions (Hg2+) and methylmercury ions (CH3Hg+) in both human urine and water samples. Remarkably, the zeta potential measured clearly indicated that the PDADMAC-capped nano-TiO2s with a predominance of positive charges indeed provided a steady force for firm attachment to the negatively charged device channel. The cause of the durability of the nano-TiO2-coated microfluidic-based PCARD was clarified thus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The threat posed by water pollutants to aquatic ecosystems and human health cannot be overlooked, and the assessment of the toxicity of these contaminants is paramount to understanding their risks and formulating effective control measures. Luminescent bacteria-based assays, as a vital tool in evaluating contaminant toxicity, encounter a challenge in ensuring accuracy due to the phenomenon of "Hormesis" exhibited by pollutants towards biological entities, which may skew toxicity assessments. This study elucidated the specific effects of pollutants on luminescent bacteria at different concentrations, used modeling to characterize the effects and predict their toxicity trends, and explored the applicable concentration ranges for different pollutants. Research revealed that six typical pollutants, namely PAHs, endocrine disruptors, antibiotics, pesticides, heavy metals, and phytosensory substances, could promote the luminescence intensity of luminescent bacteria at low concentrations, and the promotional effect increased and then decreased. However, when the concentration of the substances reached a certain threshold, the effect changed from promotional to inhibitory, and the rate of inhibition was directly proportional to the concentration. The EC50 values of six types of substances to luminescent bacteria is as follows: endocrine disruptors > pesticides > antibiotics > heavy metals > polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons > chemosensory agents. The effect curves were further fitted using the model to analyze the maximum point of the promotion of luminescence intensity by different substances, the threshold concentration, and the tolerance of luminescent bacteria to different substances. The maximum promotion of bacterial luminescence intensity was 29% for Bisphenol A at 0.005 mg/L and the minimum threshold concentration of chromium was 0.004 mg/L, and the maximum bacterial tolerance to erythromycin is 6.74. In addition, most of the current environmental concentrations had a positive effect on luminescent bacteria and may still be in the range of concentrations that promote luminescence as the substances continue to accumulate. These findings will enhance the accuracy and comprehensiveness of toxicity assessments, thereby facilitating more informed and effective decision-making in the realms of environmental protection and pollution management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

22CrMoH was selected for the gear steel material in this work, and the temperature field change in the scanning electron beam was analyzed to determine the optimal scanning parameters and explored the effect of scanning electron beam pretreatment (Abbreviated as: SEBP) on gas-carburizing (GC) efficiency and organizational properties of gear steel. The results showed that the scanning electron beam caused the material to form a thermally deformed layer 110 μm thick, and it promoted the adsorption of carbon atoms on the surface and their inward diffusion. Under the same gas-carburizing conditions, the carburizing efficiency was improved, and the thickness of the carburized layer increased from 0.78 to 1.09 mm. Furthermore, the hardness of the GC specimens with the SEBP increased from 615 to 638 HV0.05 at 0.1 mm of the sample surface, whereas the hardness of the cross-sectional region decreased gradually, indicating that the scanning electron beam enhanced the adhesion between the carburized layer and matrix zone. A comparative analysis of the microstructures of the GC specimens with and without the SEBP showed that the carbide particles in the surface layer of the samples become smaller and that of volume fraction of residual austenite reduced in size. In terms of the mechanical properties, the surface friction coefficient decreased from 0.87 to 0.46 μ and the GC specimen with the SEBP had a higher cross-sectional hardness gradient. In this way, the amount of wear was reduced from 1.07 to 0.51 mg, which was only 47.7% of the amount of wear of the matrix specimen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MAPKKs, as one of the main members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade pathway, are located in the middle of the cascade and are involved in many physiological processes of plant growth and development, as well as stress tolerance. Previous studies have found that StMAPKK5 is responsive to drought and salt stress. To further investigate the function and regulatory mechanism of StMAPKK5 in potato stress response, potato variety 'Atlantic' was subjected to drought and NaCl treatments, and the expression of the StMAPKK5 gene was detected by qRT-PCR. StMAPKK5 overexpression and RNA interference-mediated StMAPKK5 knockdown potato plants were constructed. The relative water content, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD) activities, as well as proline (Pro) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents of plant leaves, were also assayed under drought and NaCl stress. The StMAPKK5 interacting proteins were identified and validated by yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC). The results showed that the expression of StMAPKK5 was significantly up-regulated under drought and NaCl stress conditions. The StMAPKK5 protein was localized in the nucleus, cytoplasm, and cell membrane. The expression of StMAPKK5 affected the relative water content, the enzymatic activities of SOD, CAT, and POD, and the proline and MDA contents of potatoes under drought and salt stress conditions. These results suggest that StMAPKK5 plays a significant role in regulating drought and salt tolerance in potato crop. Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) screening identified four interacting proteins: StMYB19, StZFP8, StPUB-like, and StSKIP19. BiFC confirmed the authenticity of the interactions. These findings suggest that StMAPKK5 is crucial for potato growth, development, and response to adversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: What are the main findings? A comprehensive simulation model including particle flow and radiation transfer was developed for a CPC photocatalytic reactor. The ray tracing method was utilized to determine the radiation reaching the surface of the receiving tube, while the discrete ordinates method (DOM) was also employed to solve the radiative transfer equation (RTE), which shows the complete process of solar energy transfer. What is the implication of the main finding? Local volume radiative power absorption (LVRPA) and total radiative power absorption (TRPA) inside the receiving tube was obtained by this study, which is critical data for the photocatalytic reactor. Natural convection with intermittent disturbances is demonstrated to be effective operating mode for the CPC photocatalytic reactor. Compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) photocatalytic reactors are commonly used for photocatalytic water splitting in hydrogen production. This study aimed to gain a better understanding of the physical processes in CPC photocatalytic reactors and provide theoretical support for their design, optimization, and operation. The analysis involved the ray tracing approach, Euler–Euler two-fluid model, and discrete ordinates method (DOM) to study solar radiation transfer and particle flow in the reactor. The distribution of solar radiation on the receiving tube's surface after CPC concentration was obtained by conducting the ray tracing approach. This solar radiation distribution was then coupled into the Euler–Euler two-fluid model to solve for the natural convection flow field, the temperature field, and particle phase volume fraction distribution inside the receiving tube over a period of 120 s. Lastly, the discrete ordinates method (DOM) was used to analyze the transfer of radiation inside the receiving tube at different times, obtaining the distribution of local volume radiative power absorption (LVRPA) and the total radiative power absorption (TRPA) inside the tube. The results showed that the TRPA reached its maximum at 120 s, accounting for 66.61% of the incident solar UV radiation. According to the above results, it could be suggested that adopting an intermittent operation mode in CPC photocatalytic reactors is reasonable and efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus (P) stands as a pivotal macroelement in relation to the growth of plants. It plays a significant role in physiological processes, as components of biofilms and nucleotides, and in metabolic activities within plants. The deprivation of phosphorus detrimentally impacts the growth and developmental of plants. However, the rhizosphere's beneficial fungi and bacteria augment the efficacy of phosphorus uptake, participate in the molecular regulation of phosphorus, stimulate physiological alterations in plants, and facilitate signal transmission. In order to give readers a better understanding of the effects and positive roles of soil beneficial fungi and bacteria in regulating plant phosphorus acquisition and transport, this present review introduces the role and influence of rhizosphere microorganisms (fungi and bacteria) in assisting plant phosphorus absorption, and summarizes the key phosphorus transporters found in their interaction with plants. Using mixed microbial populations as composite microbial fertilizers has a positive effect on plants under phosphorus-deficiency conditions. It will be conducive to a better understanding of the mutualistic relationship between fungi, bacteria, and plants to provide a way to reduce the application of phosphorus fertilizers efficiently, and to provide a research background for the development of microbiological fertilizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The precision and predictive power of perturbative QCD (pQCD) prediction depends on both a precise, convergent, fixed-order series and a reliable way of estimating the contributions of unknown higher-order (UHO) terms. It has been shown that by applying the principle of maximum conformality (PMC), which applies the renormalization group equation recursively to set the effective magnitude of α s of the process, the remaining conformal coefficients will be well matched with the corresponding α s at each order, leading to a scheme-and-scale invariant and more convergent perturbative series. The PMC series, being satisfied with the standard renormalization group invariance, has a rigorous foundation. Thus it not only can be widely applied to virtually all high-energy hadronic processes, but also can be a reliable platform for estimating UHO contributions. In this paper, by using the total decay width Γ (H → γ γ) which has been calculated up to N4LO QCD corrections, we first derive its PMC series by using the PMC single-scale setting approach and then estimate its unknown N5LO contributions by using a Bayesian analysis. The newly suggested Bayesian-based approach estimates the magnitude of the UHO contributions based on an optimized analysis of the probability density distribution, and the predicted UHO contribution becomes more accurate when more loop terms have been known to tame the probability density function. Using the top-quark pole mass M t = 172.69 GeV and the Higgs mass M H = 125.25 GeV as inputs, we obtain Γ (H → γ γ) = 9.56504 keV , and the estimated N5LO contribution to the total decay width is Δ Γ H = ± 1.65 × 10 − 4 keV for the smallest credible interval of 95.5 % degree of belief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil crops are the second most cultivated economic crop in the world after food crops, and they are an important source of both edible and industrial oil. The growth of oil crops is limited by biotic and abiotic stresses, which hinder their yield and quality. Among all the agronomic measures, plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) play a crucial role in improving the yield, quality, and adaptability of oil crops. In this review, we considered the recent research on the sources of beneficial bacteria and their interactions with and influences on host plants, with a focus on summarizing the important roles and molecular mechanisms of PGPB in promoting growth and resisting biotic and abiotic stresses in oil crops. Finally, we outlined the current opportunities and challenges of microbial strategies for the improvement of the yield, quality, and adaptability of oil crops, providing a theoretical basis for the future use of microbial inoculants in these crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to address the problem of poor synchronous accuracy when facing a time-varying load in conventional load-sensitive synchronous drive systems. The new electro-hydraulic load-sensitive (EHLS) diverter synchronous drive system was proposed by combining the diverter valve and the EHLS synchronous drive system. The variable pressure margin compensation control was proposed to further improve the system's synchronous control performance. Based on the system control strategy and component mathematical model, the simulation models of the EHLS, EHLS synchronous, and EHLS diverter synchronous drive systems were established using AMESim, respectively, and the synchronous control performance of the systems was obtained. The simulation results show that the EHLS drive system realized the primary functions of the load-sensitive system and could realize the variable load-sensitive pressure margin control. The EHLS synchronous drive system had poor synchronous control accuracy, but variable pressure compensation valve pressure margin control could be realized. The EHLS diverter synchronous drive system effectively improved the system's synchronous control performance and diverter synchronous accuracy by variable pressure margin compensation control. The diverter system diverter error was reduced by 40.8%, and the diverter system after the compensation diverter error was reduced by 52.6% when the multi-way valves were fully opening. The system provides the solution for high-performance hydraulic synchronous drives under severe operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2 was the greatest global threat to human health in the last three years. The most widely used methodologies for the diagnosis of COVID-19 are quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and rapid antigen tests (RATs). PCR is time-consuming and requires specialized instrumentation operated by skilled personnel. In contrast, RATs can be used in-home or at point-of-care but are less sensitive, leading to a higher rate of false negative results. In this work, we describe the development of a disposable, electrochemical, and laser-scribed graphene-based biosensor strips for COVID-19 detection that exploits a split-ester bond ligase system (termed 'EsterLigase') for immobilization of a virus-specific nanobody to maintain the out-of-plane orientation of the probe to ensure the efficacy of the probe-target recognition process. An anti-spike VHH E nanobody, genetically fused with the EsterLigase domain, was used as the specific probe for the spike receptor-binding domain (SP-RBD) protein as the target. The recognition between the two was measured by the change in the charge transfer resistance determined by fitting the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) spectra. The developed LSG-based biosensor achieved a linear detection range for the SP-RBD from 150 pM to 15 nM with a sensitivity of 0.0866 [log(M)]−1 and a limit of detection (LOD) of 7.68 pM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]