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The second-order mean field games system (MFGS) in a bounded domain with the lateral Cauchy data are considered. This means that both Dirichlet and Neumann boundary data for the solution of the MFGS are given. Two Hölder stability estimates for two slightly different cases are derived. These estimates indicate how stable the solution of the MFGS is with respect to the possible noise in the lateral Cauchy data. Our stability estimates imply uniqueness. The key mathematical apparatus is the apparatus of two new Carleman estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-sediment water (HSW) drip irrigation has the potential to address agricultural water shortages. However, the sediment flocculation in HSW causes serious technical and economic problems (e.g., emitter clogging). Fertilizer application has been demonstrated to significantly affect sediment flocculation, but the effects of various types of fertilizers on HSW sediment flocculation remain unclear. This study systematically investigated the effects of 17 types of most commonly used fertilizers (Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, etc.), and 4 shear forces (0 Pa, 0.2 Pa, 0.4 Pa, and 0.6 Pa) on the flocculation of HSW sediments. The changes in HSW pH, electric conductivity, Zeta potential, oxidation reduction potential, surface tension and dissolved oxygen were measured. Results showed that 11 types of fertilizer application enhanced sediment flocculation. Potassium sulphate had the highest sediment flocculation capacity, followed by calcium ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulphate, ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, ammonium carbonate, calcium chloride, ferrous sulphate, potassium chloride, ammonium bicarbonate, and dipotassium hydrogen phosphate. This was because these fertilizers increased the water cation concentration and decreased the surface charge of sediment particles. Furthermore, only 6 types of fertilizers (i.e., iron sulphate, magnesium chloride, manganese sulphate, ammonium chloride, copper sulphate) reduced sediment flocculation. This was because these fertilizers inhibited the connection and collision between sediment particles, thus reducing the likelihood of sediment flocculation. In addition, a higher shear force can reduce HSW sediment flocculation. However, the six water quality parameters did not have statistically significant correlations with sediment flocculation. This study is of significance for clarifying the effect of fertilizer application on sediment flocculation, with implications for the application and promotion of HSW drip fertigation technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ursolic acid (UA) is an important plant-derived pentacyclic triterpene with many physiological and pharmacological activities. Although the heterologous biosynthesis of UA in microbes has been achieved, the titer is too low to be applied for commercial industrialization. The low efficiency of key enzymes such as cytochrome P450 enzyme (CYP450) and the imbalance between endogenous metabolism and exogenous pathways are considered key elements. To solve the problem, high-efficient CYP450s and its compatible cytochrome P450 reductases (CPRs) were screened and characterized. Ej8656, a CYP450 from Eriobotrya japonica , combined with LjCPR, a CPR from Lotus japonicus , showed the best performance in an engineered α-amyrin producing Saccharomyces cerevisiae with a UA titer of 43.0 mg/L. Furthermore, combining cofactor engineering of NADH/NADPH and optimization of acetyl-CoA supply, UA production was improved to 61.0 mg/L. In addition, fermentation optimization was carried out using the constructed S. cerevisiae and the titer of UA was increased to 90.0 mg/L. Finally, 2.33 g/L UA and 1.21 g/L α-amyrin were obtained after scale-up experiment in a 5 L fermenter. The UA production was 70.0-fold of the original strain WN1, and is the highest titer reported in S. cerevisiae. Our study provides a combined way to improve the efficiency of heterologous biosynthesis of UA and offers new ideas and methods for the efficient synthesis of other triterpenoids. • High-efficient Ej8656 was employed for ursolic acid biosynthesis in S. cerevisiae. • LjCPR from L. japonicus was identified as the most complementary CPR for Ej8656. • Balancing the ratio of NAD(P)H/NAD(P)+ was helpful for ursolic acid production. • The highest production of ursolic acid in microorganisms was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study investigated changes in plasma microbial-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome and insulin resistance (PCOS-IR) before and after metformin treatment, and aimed to identify bacterial taxa within EVs that were biologically and statistically significant for diagnosis and treatment. Methods: The case–control study was conducted at Xiamen Chang Gung Hospital, Hua Qiao University. Plasma samples were collected from five PCOS-IR patients of childbearing age before and after 3 months of metformin treatment, and the samples were sequenced. The diversity and taxonomic composition of different microbial communities were analyzed through full-length 16 S glycosomal RNA gene sequencing. Results: After metformin treatment, fasting plasma glucose levels and IR degree of PCOS-IR patients were significantly improved. The 16 S analysis of plasma EVs from metformin-treated patients showed higher microbial diversity. There were significant differences in EVs derived from some environmental bacteria before and after metformin treatment. Notably, Streptococcus salivarius was more abundant in the metformin-treated group, suggesting it may be a potential probiotic. Discussion: The study demonstrated changes in the microbial composition of plasma EVs before and after metformin treatment. The findings may offer new insights into the pathogenesis of PCOS-IR and provide new avenues for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concentrates on a priori error estimates of two monolithic schemes for Biot's consolidation model based on the three‐field formulation introduced by Oyarzúa et al. (SIAM J Numer Anal, 2016). The spatial discretizations are based on the Taylor–Hood finite elements combined with Lagrange elements for the three primary variables. We employ two different schemes to discretize the time domain. One uses the backward Euler method, and the other applies the combination of the backward Euler and Crank‐Nicolson methods. A priori error estimates show that both schemes are unconditionally convergent with optimal error orders. Detailed numerical experiments are presented to validate the theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delivery riders are more vulnerable than other traffic participants, especially in vehicle-involved delivery crashes. This study aims at identifying the unobserved heterogeneities in different factors, based on 4251 vehicle-scooter-style electric bicycle (SSEB) crashes. First, some potential factors are selected from seven perspectives, and the spatiotemporal characteristics are analysed. Second, a latent class clustering method is proposed to clarify the optimal number of clusters by maximizing the heterogeneities across clusters. Third, partial proportional odds (PPO) models for the whole dataset and sub-datasets are developed to explore the heterogeneities across various clusters. Besides, marginal effects are implemented to quantify the heterogeneities. The results evidence that there are remarkable heterogeneities across different clusters, especially in riding behaviours and road conditions. Several factors only significantly affect particular clusters but not the whole dataset. The PPO models for the sub-datasets perform better in identifying the underlying heterogeneities. The results also highlight the greater roles of riding behaviours and road conditions in delivery SSEB-vehicle crashes. The top five influencing factors are running red light, using cell phones, vehicle type, reverse riding and bike lane (their maximum marginal effects exceeding +35%). The findings could support to mitigate the related crash losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pressure compensating emitters (PCE) can maintain a consistent irrigation flow rate under varying pressures through its internal compensation diaphragm and effectively improve the irrigation uniformity of drip irrigation systems. However, the PCE function is prone to failure, particularly when using marginal water, which can cause various technical and economic problems. To date, little is known about the failure behavior of PCE. This study investigated the effects of three pressures (0.1Mpa, 0.2Mpa, and 0.3Mpa) on the failure behavior of PCE. Then the dynamic changes in clogging substances and diaphragm performances in PCE channel were monitored. The results showed that as the system operation increased, the performance of PCE gradually decreased. The CU>80% running time was 172.8–634.9 h, and the flow index >0.2 running time was 120.1–768.1 h. The failure of PCE is primarily caused by two factors: clogging of the PCE flow channel and deterioration of the diaphragm mechanical performances. The flow rate of PCE increased by 22.6% on average at 0.3Mpa compared to 0.1Mpa, and clogging substances in the PCE flow channel decreased by 19.8%. Meanwhile, increasing the operating pressure improved the mechanical performance of the diaphragm. Under the operating pressure of 0.3Mpa, the diaphragm's elasticity and hardness increased by 14.6% and 12.8%, respectively. Therefore, this study is of significance in popularizing PCE drip irrigation technology and marginal water utilization. • Pressure compensating emitter (PCE) clogging can be reduced by increasing pressure. • PCE failure is primarily caused by channel clogging and diaphragm deterioration. • The emitter under high-salinity groundwater conditions is most likely to fail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of magnetized anomalies in the shell of the Earth interrupts its geomagnetic field. We consider the inverse problem of identifying the anomalies by monitoring the variation of the geomagnetic field. Motivated by the theoretical unique identifiability result in [7] , we develop a novel numerical scheme of locating multiple magnetized anomalies. In our study, we do not assume the source that generates the geomagnetic field, and the medium configurations of the Earth's core and the magnetized anomalies are a-priori known. The core of the reconstruction scheme is a novel imaging functional whose quantitative behaviours can be used to identify the anomalies. Both rigorous analysis and extensive numerical experiments are provided to verify the effectiveness and promising features of the proposed reconstruction scheme. • Magnetic anomalies detection from geomagnetic monitoring is practically important and challenging. • Based on a sophisticated geomagnetic model, a novel reconstruction scheme is proposed and developed. • In our method, the geomagnetic source and the medium configuration of the Earth's core are both not a-priori known. • The core is a novel imaging functional whose promising features are both theoretically and computationally verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]