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Metallic glass is being gradually recognized for its unique disordered atomic configuration and excellent catalytic activity, so is of great significance in the field of catalysis. Recent reports have demonstrated that Fe-based metallic glass, as a competitive new catalyst, has good catalytic activity for the fields of environment and energy, including high catalytic efficiency and stability. This review introduces the latest developments in metallic glasses with various atomic components and their excellent catalytic properties as catalysts. In this article, the influence of Fe-based metallic glass catalysts on the catalytic activity of dye wastewater treatment and water-splitting is discussed. The catalytic performance in different atomic composition systems and different water environment systems, and the preparation parameters to improve the surface activity of catalysts, are reviewed. This review also describes several prospects in the future development and practical application of Fe-based metallic glass catalysts and provides a new reference for the synthesis of novel catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The x%Ni/Sm2O3-MnO (x = 0, 10, 15, 20) catalysts derived from SmMn2O5 mullite were prepared by solution combustion and impregnation method; auto-thermal reforming (ATR) of acetic acid (HAc) for hydrogen production was used to explore the metal-support effect induced by Ni loadings on the catalytic reforming activity and product distribution. The 15%Ni/Sm2O3-MnO catalyst exhibited optimal catalytic performance, which can be due to the appropriate Ni loading inducing a strong metal–support interaction to form a stable Ni/Sm2O3-MnO active center, while side reactions, such as methanation and ketonization, were well suppressed. According to characterizations, Sm2O3-MnO mixed oxides derived from SmMn2O5 mullite were formed with oxygen vacancies; nevertheless, loading of Ni metal further promoted the formation of oxygen vacancies, thus enhancing adsorption and activation of oxygen-containing intermediate species and resulting in higher reactivity with HAc conversion near 100% and hydrogen yield at 2.62 mol-H2/mol-HAc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, optical fibers have found extensive use in special environments, including high-energy radiation scenarios like nuclear explosion diagnostics and reactor monitoring. However, radiation exposure, such as X-rays, gamma rays, and neutrons, can compromise fiber safety and reliability. Consequently, researchers worldwide are focusing on radiation-resistant fiber optic technology. This paper examines optical fiber radiation damage mechanisms, encompassing ionization damage, displacement damage, and defect centers. It also surveys the current research on radiation-resistant fiber optic design, including doping and manufacturing process improvements. Ultimately, it summarizes the effectiveness of various approaches and forecasts the future of radiation-resistant optical fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining background aerosol optical depth threshold value (BAOD) is critical to aerosol type identification and air pollution control. This study presents a statistical method to select the best BAOD threshold value using the VIIRS DB AOD products at 1 × 1 degree resolution from 2012 to 2019 as a major testbed. A series of multiple lognormal distributions with 1 to 5 peaks are firstly applied to fit the AOD histogram at each grid point, and the distribution with the highest correlation coefficient (R) gives preliminary estimations of BAOD, which is defined as either the intersection point of the first two normal distribution curves when having multiple peaks, or the midpoint between the peak AOD and the first AOD with non-zero probability when the mono peak is the best fit. Then, the lowest 1st to 100th percentile AOD distributions are compared with the preliminary BAOD distribution on a global scale. The final BAOD is obtained from the best cutoff percentile AOD distributions with the lowest bias compared with preliminary BAOD. Results show that the lowest 30th percentile AOD is the best estimation of BAOD for different AOD datasets and different seasons. Analysis of aerosol chemical information from MERRA-2 further supports this selection. Based on the BAOD, we updated the VIIRS aerosol type classification scheme, and the results show that the updated scheme is able to achieve reliable detection of aerosol type change in low aerosol loading conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The perception of tactile-stimulation locations is an important function of the human somatosensory system during body movements and its interactions with the surroundings. Previous psychophysical and neurophysiological studies have focused on spatial location perception of the upper body. In this study, we recorded single-trial electroencephalography (EEG) responses evoked by four vibrotactile stimulators placed on the buttocks and thighs while the human subject was sitting in a chair with a cushion. Methods: Briefly, 14 human subjects were instructed to sit in a chair for a duration of 1 h or 1 h and 45 min. Two types of cushions were tested with each subject: a foam cushion and an air-cell-based cushion dedicated for wheelchair users to alleviate tissue stress. Vibrotactile stimulations were applied to the sitting interface at the beginning and end of the sitting period. Somatosensory-evoked potentials were obtained using a 32-channel EEG. An artificial neural net was used to predict the tactile locations based on the evoked EEG power. Results: We found that single-trial beta (13–30 Hz) and gamma (30–50 Hz) waves can best predict the tactor locations with an accuracy of up to 65%. Female subjects showed the highest performances, while males' sensitivity tended to degrade after the sitting period. A three-way ANOVA analysis indicated that the air-cell cushion maintained location sensitivity better than the foam cushion. Conclusion: Our finding shows that tactile location information is encoded in EEG responses and provides insights on the fundamental mechanisms of the tactile system, as well as applications in brain–computer interfaces that rely on tactile stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua, the dried rhizome of Polygonum multiflorum from the Liliaceae family, is a widely used medicinal herb with a long history of application. Its main active ingredients are polysaccharides, which have been demonstrated in contemporary studies to effectively delay the aging process. In the present study, homogeneous polysaccharide (PCP-1) was obtained after the purification and isolation of polysaccharides from Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua (PCP). The anti-aging activities of both were compared, and the possible mechanism of action for exerting anti-aging activity was explored using Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Research has indicated that PCP and PCP-1 exhibit potent anti-oxidant and anti-aging properties. Of particular note is that PCP-1 acts better than PCP. The two were able to prolong the lifespan of nematodes, improve the stress resistance of nematodes, reduce the accumulation of lipofuscin in the intestine, decrease the content of ROS and MDA in the body, increase the activity of the antioxidant enzymes SOD and CAT, promote the nuclear translocation of DAF-16, down-regulate the mRNA levels of the age-1 and daf-2 genes of the IIS pathway in nematodes, and up-regulate the expression of the daf-16, skn-1, sod-3, and hsp-16.2 genes. Based on the aforementioned findings, it is possible that the mechanism by which PCP and PCP-1 exert anti-aging effects may be through negative regulation of the IIS pathway, activation of the transcription factor DAF-16/FOXO, and enhancement of oxidative defenses and stress resistance in nematodes. Overall, the present study illustrated the great potential of polysaccharides from Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua in anti-aging and antioxidant activities. Specifically, PCP-1 demonstrated superior characteristics, which provides a reference for the future development of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua polysaccharides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have indicated that the invasive apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) exhibits tolerance to the salinity levels present in coastal agricultural soils, suggesting that apple snails could potentially invade salt-affected coastal agricultural areas. However, the effects of the alien snail Pomacea canaliculata invasion on coastal saline soils, such as in terms of soil properties, microbial diversity, and abundance, remain poorly understood. To fill this gap, we conducted experiments involving three salinity levels (0, 2‰, and 5‰, w/w), coupled with varying snail densities (0, 5, and 10 snails per box), applied to agricultural soil. We analyzed soil chemical properties, enzyme activities, and bacterial communities. The findings revealed that heightened soil salinity increased soil electrical conductivity (EC) (exceeding 1312.67 μS cm−1). Under saline conditions, snail treatments significantly increased the soil organic matter (SOM) content from 15.82 mg kg−1 to 18.69 mg kg−1, and concurrently diminished the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from 47.45 mg kg−1 to 34.60 mg kg−1. Both snail and salinity treatments resulted in ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) accumulation, while nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N) concentrations remained low in salt-affected soils. A notable positive correlation existed between the EC and the activities of hydroxylamine reductase (HR) and peroxidase (POD), where HR exhibited a positive correlation with NH4+-N, and POD displayed a negative correlation with NO3−-N. Salinity substantially decreased the diversity and altered the composition of soil bacterial community, with the phyla Bacteroidota, Proteobacteria, and Firmicutes adapting to salt-affected soil environment and proliferating. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis indicated that snails exerted a direct influence on soil-available nitrogen (including NO3−-N and NH4+-N), while salinity impacted available nitrogen by modulating soil enzyme activities and bacterial communities. Our findings provide insights into how soil responds to the concurrent impacts of snail invasion and soil salinization, establishing some references for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motion speed and direction are two fundamental cues for the mammalian visual system. Neurons in various places of the neocortex show tuning properties in term of firing frequency to both speed and direction. The present study applied a 32-channel electroencephalograph (EEG) system to 13 human subjects while they were observing a single object moving with different speeds in various directions from the center of view to the periphery on a computer monitor. Depending on the experimental condition, the subjects were either required to fix their gaze at the center of the monitor while the object was moving or to track the movement with their gaze; eye-tracking glasses were used to ensure that they followed instructions. In each trial, motion speed and direction varied randomly and independently, forming two competing visual features. EEG signal classification was performed for each cue separately (e.g., 11 speed values or 11 directions), regardless of variations in the other cue. Under the eye-fixed condition, multiple subjects showed distinct preferences to motion direction over speed; however, two outliers showed superb sensitivity to speed. Under the eye-tracking condition, in which the EEG signals presumably contained ocular movement signals, all subjects showed predominantly better classification for motion direction. There was a trend that speed and direction were encoded by different electrode sites. Since EEG is a noninvasive and portable approach suitable for brain–computer interfaces (BCIs), this study provides insights on fundamental knowledge of the visual system as well as BCI applications based on visual stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel precast concrete composite wall connected by tooth groove and grouted sleeve was introduced, which is produced in factories by means of structure-insulation integrated prefabrication, and the prefabrication and assembly process were presented minutely. To verify the feasibility and reliability of this novel tooth groove and grouted sleeve connection method and explore the joint connection performance and the seismic performance of the precast concrete composite wall connected by tooth groove and grouted sleeve, low-cyclic reversed loading tests with an axial compressive ratio of 0.1 were performed on two full-scale precast concrete composite walls. Moreover, the failure mode, hysteretic curve, skeleton curve, stiffness degradation, displacement ductility, energy dissipation capacity, and reinforcement strain were comprehensively discussed. The research results showed that under the vertical axial load and low-cyclic reversed load, the distributed reinforcements in the wall panel only played a structural role, while the connecting reinforcements at horizontal joints can always effectively transfer stress without bond failure, and the tooth groove and grouted sleeve connection performance was reliable. In addition, the hysteretic curves of the precast concrete composite wall connected by tooth groove and grouted sleeve were full, showing good ductile deformation capacity and energy dissipation capacity. In general, the precast concrete composite wall connected by tooth groove and grouted sleeve not only possessed favorable seismic performance but also showed obvious advantages such as green energy saving, high assembly rate, and less on-site wet operation, which can be applied to practical engineering under reasonable design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of the reservoir architecture in braided river systems has significant implications for the exploitation of remaining oil and gas reserves. However, due to the complexity of the braided river deposition process, the architecture patterns are diverse and intricate. Limited by the quality of seismic data and well network density, the characterization of underground reservoir architecture often entails considerable uncertainty. This paper investigates the architecture elements, stacking patterns, and significance of oil and gas development in the braided river deposition of the Jin 58 well area in the northern part of the Ordos Basin through typical field outcrop and core observations, and by making full use of horizontal well data. The study reveals that the Jin 58 well area is mainly characterized by four types of architecture units: braided channel, channel bar, overbank, and flood plain. Based on the data from horizontal and vertical wells, four identification criteria for single sand bodies are determined, and the vertical stacking and lateral juxtaposition styles of the architecture units, as well as the architecture patterns and internal features of the channel bar, are summarized. It is confirmed that composite sand bodies have better productivity. A three-dimensional architecture model of the braided river is established based on the results of architecture analysis. The accuracy of the architecture analysis is validated through numerical simulation, providing a basis for subsequent well deployment and other related activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe convective weather is hugely destructive, causing significant loss of life and social and economic infrastructure. Based on the U-Net network with the attention mechanism, the recurrent convolution, and the residual module, a new model is proposed named ARRU-Net (Attention Recurrent Residual U-Net) for the recognition of severe convective clouds using the cloud image prediction sequence from FY-4A data. The characteristic parameters used to recognize severe convective clouds in this study were brightness temperature values TBB9, brightness temperature difference values TBB9−TBB12 and TBB12−TBB13, and texture features based on spectral characteristics. This method first input five satellite cloud images with a time interval of 30 min into the ARRU-Net model and predicted five satellite cloud images for the next 2.5 h. Then, severe convective clouds were segmented based on the predicted image sequence. The root mean square error (RMSE), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and correlation coefficient (R2) of the predicted results were 5.48 K, 35.52 dB, and 0.92, respectively. The results of the experiments showed that the average recognition accuracy and recall of the ARRU-Net model in the next five moments on the test set were 97.62% and 83.34%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a liquid crystal-modulated metastructure sensor (MS) is proposed that can detect the refractive index (RI) of a liquid and change the detection range under different applied voltages. The regulation of the detection range is based on the different bias states of the liquid crystal at different voltages. By changing the sample in the cavity that is to be detected, the overall electromagnetic characteristics of the device in the resonant state are modified, thus changing the position of the absorption peaks so that different RI correspond to different absorption peaks, and finally realizing the sensing detection. The refractive index unit is denoted as RIU. The range of the refractive index detection is 1.414–2.828 and 2.121–3.464, and the corresponding absorption peak variation range is 0.8485–1.028 THz and 0.7295–0.8328 THz, with a sensitivity of 123.8 GHz/RIU and 75.6 GHz/RIU, respectively. In addition, an approach to optimizing resonant absorption peaks is explored, which can suppress unwanted absorption generated during the design process by analyzing the energy distribution and directing the current flow on the substrate. Four variables that have a more obvious impact on performance are listed, and the selection and change trend of the numerical values are focused on, fully considering the errors that may be caused by manufacturing and actual use. At the same time, the incident angle and polarization angle are also included in the considered range, and the device shows good stability at these angles. Finally, the influence of the number of resonant rings on the sensing performance is also discussed, and its conclusion has guiding value for optimizing the sensing demand. This new liquid crystal-modulated MS has the advantages of a small size and high sensitivity and is expected to be used for bio-detection, sensing, and so on. All results in this work were obtained with the aid of simulations based on the finite element method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Sexual attractants have emerged as a labor-saving and environmentally friendly technology for green pest control. The Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis, a global agricultural pest, is often managed using sex attractants such as methyl eugenol as part of green control measures. However, the practical efficacy of these attractants in field applications is often challenged due to the high mating frequency exhibited by male B. dorsalis individuals. In this study, we aimed to investigate the reproductive capacity of B. dorsalis under continuous mating conditions and assess the variations in reproductive ability under different mating conditions. The study highlights the importance of continuous pest control measures due to the pests' strong reproductive ability under interval mating conditions. By comprehending these dynamics, researchers can develop improved strategies for green pest control, thus reducing the reliance on harmful pesticides and ensuring sustainable agricultural practices. These findings have valuable implications for society by promoting environmentally friendly pest management techniques, ultimately benefiting both crop production and the environment. At present, sexual attractants mainly control insect populations by killing males. However, the effect of sex attractants may be limited by the mating ability of the attracted insects. The Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), has a strong reproductive capacity; it brings great losses to agricultural production, which can be controlled by methods using sex attractant methyl eugenol that mainly attracts males. Therefore, we studied the multiple and continuous (as well as consecutive) mating ability of B. dorsalis through behavioral experiments. The results show that male B. dorsalis can mate 11 times on average, with females mating only 1.93 times, and that 10.81% of males mate more than 20 times. The reproductive capacity of male B. dorsalis decreased significantly after four to five instances of continuous mating. In different mating patterns, the reproductive fitness of polyandry is not the highest, rather, interval mating is the best. A limiting factor of the sex attractant effect was revealed in B. dorsalis through behavioral evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North Konawe region in Indonesia, known for its lateritic nickel (Ni) deposits, holds significant potential for obtaining Ni resources. However, the complex topographic conditions of this area pose challenges. Exploring the application of remote sensing technology to reveal the spectral response mechanism of Ni grade from high-precision multispectral data and inversion of Ni grade represents a novel direction in future Ni resource exploration. Traditional remote sensing inversion methods solely consider the spectral characteristics of sample data and ignore vital geospatial location information. As a result, efficiently obtaining regional details of target substance content over large areas has become challenging. The introduction of the geographically weighted regression (GWR) method offers an opportunity for fine-grained Ni grade inversion based on remote sensing. This study focused on the E and K blocks within the lateritic Ni mining area in North Konawe. Through utilizing the WordView-3 multispectral data which exhibits immense potential in quantitative remote sensing inversion studies, GWR was employed to integrate spectral features and spatial information. The goal was to reveal the correlation between multispectral remote sensing data and Ni grade. The obtained results were then compared and analyzed with multiple linear regression (MLR) and back propagation neural network (BPNN) models. The findings revealed that GWR achieved the highest coefficient of determination R2 of 0.96, surpassing MLR and BPNN values of 0.05 and 0.17, respectively. Additionally, GWR exhibited the lowest root mean square error of 0.04, which was lower than those of MLR and BPNN with the values of 0.25 and 0.23, respectively. These results confirmed the enhanced stability and accuracy of the GWR method compared to MLR and BPNN. Furthermore, GWR effectively mapped the spatial distribution trends of Ni grades in the study area, providing evidence of the method's effectiveness in Ni grade inversion. The study also delved into the inversion effect of the GWR method in areas with varying weathering crust thickness and vegetation cover. The research revealed that higher values of weathering crust thickness negatively impacted the inversion effect. However, the influence mechanism of vegetation cover on Ni grade inversion necessitated further investigation. These results served as a significant demonstration of the remote sensing inversion of mineral resource grades in similar areas. They provided valuable insights for future exploration and decision-making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field dynamic balancer is crucial to the applications of magnetically suspended turbomolecular pumps. Therefore, this paper presents a novel field dynamic balancing method based on autocentering control mode without any additional instrumentation. Firstly, the dynamics of the active magnetic bearing rotor system with unbalance are modeled. Through model analysis, it was found that making the rotor rotate around the geometric axis can improve the accuracy of dynamic balancing. Secondly, the relationship between the correcting masses and the synchronous currents based on the influence coefficient method is established. Then, an autocentering controller is designed to make the rotor rotate around the geometric axis. The synchronous currents can be detected and extracted by the current transducers to calculate the unbalance correction mass. Finally, the experimental results show that this novel field dynamic balancing method can effectively eliminate the majority of rotor unbalance. Compared with the original unbalance of a rotor, the synchronous current in the A-end has been reduced by 71.4% and the synchronous current in the B-end, by 90.8% with the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The IL-36 cytokines are known to play various roles in mediating the immune and inflammatory response to tissue injury in a context-dependent manner. This study investigated the role of IL-36R signaling in mediating epithelial wound healing in normal (NL) and diabetic (DM) C57BL/6 mouse corneas. The rate of epithelial wound closure was significantly accelerated in IL-36 receptor-deficient (IL-36R−/−) compared to wild-type (WT) mice. Wounding increased IL-36α and -36γ but repressed IL-36R antagonist (IL-36Ra) expression in B6 mouse corneal epithelial cells. The wound-induced proinflammatory cytokines CXCL1 and CXCL2 were dampened, while the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) S100A8 and A9 were augmented in IL-36R−/− mouse corneas. Intriguingly, the expression of AMP LCN2 was augmented at the mRNA level. LCN2 deficiency resulted in an acceleration of epithelial wound healing. IL-36R deficiency also greatly increased the healing rate of the corneal epithelial wound in DM mice. IL-36R deficiency also suppressed IL-1β, IL-1Ra, and ICAM expression in unwounded-DM mice and wounded NL corneas. Opposing IL-1β and ICAM, the expression of IL-Ra in DM corneas of IL-36R−/− mice was augmented. The presence of recombinant IL-1Ra and IL-36Ra accelerated epithelial wound closure in T1DM corneas of B6 mice. Our study revealed an unprecedented role of IL-36R signaling in controlling corneal epithelial wound healing in normal (NL) and diabetic (DM) mice. Our data suggest that IL-36Ra, similar to IL-1Ra, might be a therapeutic reagent for improving wound healing and reducing wound-associated ulceration, particularly in the cornea and potentially in the skin of DM patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gene families, which are parts of a genome's information storage hierarchy, play a significant role in the development and diversity of multicellular organisms. Several studies have focused on the characteristics of gene families, such as function, homology, or phenotype. However, statistical and correlation analyses on the distribution of gene family members in the genome have yet to be conducted. Here, a novel framework incorporating gene family analysis and genome selection based on NMF-ReliefF is reported. Specifically, the proposed method starts by obtaining gene families from the TreeFam database and determining the number of gene families within the feature matrix. Then, NMF-ReliefF is used to select features from the gene feature matrix, which is a new feature selection algorithm that overcomes the inefficiencies of traditional methods. Finally, a support vector machine is utilized to classify the acquired features. The results show that the framework achieved an accuracy of 89.1% and an AUC of 0.919 on the insect genome test set. We also employed four microarray gene data sets to evaluate the performance of the NMF-ReliefF algorithm. The outcomes show that the proposed method may strike a delicate balance between robustness and discrimination. Additionally, the proposed method's categorization is superior to state-of-the-art feature selection approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early identification of pre-diabetes provides an opportunity for intervention and treatment to delay its progression to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We aimed to identify the biomarkers of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) through bioinformatics analysis. The GSE76896 dataset, including non-diabetic (ND), IGT, and T2DM clinical samples, was deeply analyzed to identify 309 Co-DEGs for IGT and T2DM. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses indicated that inflammatory responses and the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway are important patho-physiological features of IGT and T2DM. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis and cytoHubba technolgy identified seven hub genes: namely, CCL2, CXCL1, CXCL8, EDN1, FGF13, MMP1, and NGF. The expression and ROC curves of these hub genes were validated using the GSE38642 dataset. Through an immunofluorescence assay, we found that the expression of FGF13 in islets of mice in the HFD and T2DM groups was significantly lower than in the control group. Similarly, the level of FGF13 in the sera of IGT and T2DM patients was lower than that in the healthy group. Together, these results suggest that FGF13 can be treated as a novel biomarker of IGT, which may provide new targets for the diagnosis and treatment of pre-diabetes and T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of large-scale hydropower stations could solve the problem of China's power and energy shortages. However, the construction of hydropower stations requires reservoir water storage. Artificially raising the water level by several tens of meters or even hundreds of meters will undoubtedly change the hydrogeological conditions of an area, which will lead to surface deformation near the reservoir. In this paper, we first used SBAS-InSAR technology to monitor the surface deformation near the Xiluodu reservoir area for various data and analyzed the surface deformation of the Xiluodu reservoir area from 2014 to 2019. By using the 12 ALOS2 ascending data, the 100 Sentinel-1 ascending data, and the 97 Sentinel-1 descending data, the horizontal and vertical deformations of the Xiluodu reservoir area were obtained. We found that the Xiluodu reservoir area is mainly deformed along the vertical shore, with a maximum deformation rate of 250 mm/a, accompanied by vertical deformation, and the maximum deformation rate is 60 mm/a. Furthermore, by analyzing the relationship between the horizontal deformation sequence, the vertical deformation sequence, and the impoundment, we found the following: (1) Since the commencement of Xiluodu water storage, the vertical shore direction displacement has continued to increase, indicating that the deformation caused by the water storage is not due to the elastic displacement caused by the load, but by irreversible shaping displacement. According to its development trend, we speculate that the vertical shore direction displacement will continue to increase until it eventually stabilizes; (2) Vertical displacement increases rapidly in the initial stage of water storage; after two water-storage cycles, absolute settlement begins to slow down in the vertical direction, but its deformation still changes with the change in the storage period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MADS-box transcription factors are known to be involved in several aspects of plant growth and development, especially in floral organ specification. However, little is known in eggplant. Here, 120 eggplant MADS-box genes were identified and categorized into type II (MIKCC and MIKC*) and type I (Mα, Mβ, and Mγ) subfamilies based on phylogenetic relationships. The exon number in type II SmMADS-box genes was greater than that in type I SmMADS-box genes, and the K-box domain was unique to type II MADS-box TFs. Gene duplication analysis revealed that segmental duplications were the sole contributor to the expansion of type II genes. Cis-elements of MYB binding sites related to flavonoid biosynthesis were identified in three SmMADS-box promoters. Flower tissue-specific expression profiles showed that 46, 44, 38, and 40 MADS-box genes were expressed in the stamens, stigmas, petals, and pedicels, respectively. In the flowers of SmMYB113-overexpression transgenic plants, the expression levels of 3 SmMADS-box genes were co-regulated in different tissues with the same pattern. Correlation and protein interaction predictive analysis revealed six SmMADS-box genes that might be involved in the SmMYB113-regulated anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway. This study will aid future studies aimed at functionally characterizing important members of the MADS-box gene family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exosomes, as gifts of nature derived from various cell types with a size range from ~40 to 160 nm in diameter, have gained attention recently. They are composed of a lipid membrane bilayer structure containing different constituents, such as surface ligands and receptors, from the parental cells. Originating from a variety of sources, exosomes have the ability to participate in a diverse range of biological processes, including the regulation of cellular communication. On account of their ideal native structure and characteristics, exosomes are taken into account as drug delivery systems (DDSs). They can provide profound effects on conveying therapeutic agents with great advantages, including specific targeting, high biocompatibility, and non-toxicity. Further, they can also be considered to ameliorate natural compounds, the main constituents of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which are usually ignored due to the complexity of their structures, poor stability, and unclear mechanisms of action. This review summarizes the classification of exosomes as well as the research progress on exosome-based DDSs for the treatment of different diseases in TCM. Furthermore, this review discusses the advantages and challenges faced by exosomes to contribute to their further investigation and application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Placental extracellular vesicles (EVs) have increasingly been recognized as a major mediator of feto-maternal communication. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the uptake of placental EVs by recipient cells are still not well-understood. We previously reported that placental EVs target a limited number of organs in vivo. In the current study, we investigated the mechanisms underlying the uptake of placental EVs into target cells. Placental EVs were derived from explant cultures of normal or preeclamptic placentae. The mechanisms underlying the uptake of placental EVs were elucidated, using the phagocytosis or endocytosis inhibitor, trypsin-treatment or integrin-blocking peptides. The endothelial cell activation was studied using the monocyte adhesion assay after the preeclamptic EVs exposure, with and/or without treatment with the integrin blocking peptide, YIGSR. The cellular mechanism of the uptake of the placental EVs was time, concentration and energy-dependent and both the phagocytosis and endocytosis were involved in this process. Additionally, proteins on the surface of the placental EVs, including integrins, were involved in the EV uptake process. Furthermore, inhibiting the uptake of preeclamptic EVs with YIGSR, reduced the endothelial cell activation. The interaction between the placental EVs and the recipient cells is mediated by integrins, and the cellular uptake is mediated by a combination of both phagocytosis and endocytosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of tetra-alkylcarbamides as novel ligands: N,N-butyl-N',N'-hexylurea (L1: ABHU), and N,N-butyl-N',N'-pentylurea (L2: ABPU), for the solvent extraction and complexation behaviors of uranium(VI) was synthesized and investigated in this study. The effects of HNO3 and NO3− concentrations in the aqueous phase on the distribution ratio of U(VI) were examined. Under 5 mol/L HNO3 concentration, DU reached 5.02 and 4.94 respectively without third-phase formation. During the extraction, slope measurements and IR spectral analysis revealed that the U(VI) complexes are a form of UO2(NO3)2·2L for both ligands. In addition, thermodynamic studies showed that the uranium extraction reaction was a spontaneous exothermic reaction. The deep structural analysis of the complexes was realized with DFT calculation. The bond length, bond properties, and topology of the complexes were discussed in detail to analyze the extraction behavior. This study enriches the coordination chemistry of U(VI) by tetra-alkylcarbamides, which may offer new clues for the design and synthesis of novel ligands for the separation, enrichment, and recovery of uranium in the nuclear fuel cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to discuss the role of 12/15-lipoxygenase (12/15-LOX) regulation involved in diabetes cognitive dysfunction. First, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) test was used to evaluate cognitive ability in diabetic patients and normal controls. The plasma test showed that the plasma level of 12/15-LOX in patients with MMSE scores below 27 was significantly increased compared with that of the normal group. Second, 12/15-LOX inhibitor was administered to diabetic rats. Behavioral tests, biochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and Western blotting were used in this study. We found that the levels of fasting and random blood glucose increased rapidly in diabetic rats, the levels of triglycerides and total cholesterol in the diabetic group increased, and insulin levels decreased significantly. In the Morris water maze test, the escape latency was prolonged, and the crossing times decreased in the diabetic group. Under the microscope, the apoptosis of hippocampal neurons in diabetic rats increased significantly. The levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and 12-hydroxyindoleic acid (12(S)-HETE) significantly increased, and the protein expression of 12/15-LOX, p38 MAPK, Aβ1-42, caspase-3, caspase-9 and cPLA2 increased, while that of Bcl-2 decreased. However, the use of 12/15-LOX inhibitor reversed these results. Third, 12/15-LOX shRNA and p38MAPK inhibitor were administered to HT22 cells in high-glucose medium. The results of the cell experiment were consistent with those of the animal experiment. Our results indicated that the 12/15-LOX pathway participates in diabetic brain damage by activating p38MAPK to promote inflammation and neuronal apoptosis, and intervention 12/15-LOX can improve diabetic cognitive dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A safe and efficacious live-attenuated vaccine for porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is not commercially available in the United States yet. Two major PEDV strains are currently circulating in US swine: highly virulent non-S-INDEL strain and milder virulent S-INDEL strain. In this study, the safety and protective efficacy of a plaque-purified S-INDEL PEDV isolate formulated as a vaccine candidate was evaluated. Ten pregnant gilts were divided into three groups and orally inoculated at 79 days of gestation and then boosted at 100 days gestation (T01: n = 4, vaccination/challenge; T02: n = 4, non-vaccination/challenge; T03: n = 2, non-vaccination/non-challenge). None of the gilts had adverse clinical signs after vaccination. Only one T01 gilt (#5026) had viral replication and detectible viral RNA in feces. The same gilt had consistent levels of PEDV-specific IgG and IgA antibodies in serum and colostrum/milk. Farrowed piglets at 3 to 5 days of age from T01 and T02 gilts were orally challenged with 103 TCID50/pig of the virulent non-S-INDEL PEDV while T03 piglets were orally inoculated with virus-negative medium. T01 litters had overall lower mortality than T02 (T01 36.4% vs. T02 74.4%). Specifically, there was 0% litter mortality from T01 gilt 5026. Overall, it appears that vaccination of pregnant gilts with S-INDEL PEDV can passively protect piglets if there is virus replication and immune response induction in the pregnant gilts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is one of the most common skin cancers, a definitive diagnosis of cSCC is crucial to prevent patients from missing out on treatment. The gold standard for the diagnosis of cSCC is still pathological biopsy. Currently, its diagnostic efficiency and accuracy largely depend on the experience of pathologists. Here, we present a simple, fast, and robust technique, a microscopic multispectral imaging system based on LED illumination, to diagnose cSCC qualitatively and quantitatively. The adaptive threshold segmentation method was used to segment the multispectral images into characteristic structures. There was a statistically significant difference between the average nucleocytoplasmic ratio of normal skin (4.239%) and cSCC tissues (15.607%) (p < 0.01), and the keratin pearls cSCC have well-defined qualitative features. These results show that the qualitative and quantitative features obtained from multispectral imaging can be used to comprehensively determine whether or not the tissue is cancerous. This work has significant implications for the development of a low-cost and easy-to-use device, which can not only reduce the complexity of pathological diagnosis but can also achieve the goal of convenient digital staining and access to critical histological information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dust weather is common and disastrous at the Tibetan Plateau. This study selected a typical case of dust weather and analyzed its main development mechanism in the northeast of the Tibetan Plateau, then applied six machine learning methods and a time series regression model to predict PM10 concentration in this area. The results showed that: (1) The 24-h pressure change was positive when the front intruded on the surface; convergence of vector winds with a sudden drop in temperature and humidity led by a trough on 700 hPa; a "two troughs and one ridge" weather situation appeared on 500 hPa while the cold advection behind the trough was strong and a cyclone vorticity was formed in the east of Inner Mongolia. (2) The trajectory of air mass from the Hexi Corridor was the main air mass path influencing Xining City, in this case, since a significant lag in the peak of PM10 concentration appeared in Xining City when compared with Zhangye City. (3) The Multiple Linear Regression was not only timely and effective in predicting the PM10 concentration but had great abilities for anticipating the transition period of particle concentration and the appearance date of maximum values in such dust weather. (4) The MA and MP in the clean period were much lower than that in the dust period; the PM10 of Zhangye City as an eigenvalue played an important role in predicting the PM10 of Xining City even in clean periods. Different from dust periods, the prediction effect of Random Forest Optimized by Bayesian hyperparameter was superior to Multiple Linear Regression in clean periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental rig of a zeotropic mixture separation condensation-based dual-temperature refrigeration cycle is built and the mixture R290/R600a is used as the refrigerant. Compared with a conventional cycle, the proposed refrigeration system demonstrates its application advantages under an on–off operation mode. Furthermore, the on–off periodic operation behaviors of this refrigeration system are experimentally investigated. The influence of a different refrigerant charge, a refrigerant mass fraction, a throttling valve opening, and ambient temperature are explored to evaluate the cyclic operation characteristics. The results reveal that the compressor average power for the duration of the compressor startup increases and the compressor duty cycle first declines then increases with the rise of the refrigerant charge. The average compressor during an on-period decreases from 104.5 W to 79.2 W and meanwhile the compressor duty cycles fluctuates between 72.1% and 96.9% as the R600a-charged concentration increases from 30% to 70%. The average power of the compressor during the on-period and the duty cycle are also sensitive to the freezer valve opening variation. Thus, the minimum energy consumption of 1.60 kWh·24 h−1 is achieved at the refrigerant charge of 300 g, a R600a-charged mass fraction of 50%, and a freezer throttling valve opening of 10%. A higher ambient temperature deteriorates heat transfer during condensation and increases the cabinets' heat load, the compressor duty cycle, and eventually affects the daily power consumption. Generally, the present study offers an in-depth insight of cyclic operation characteristics of a separation condensation-based hydrocarbon mixture dual-temperature refrigerator under two parallel evaporators' concurrent cooling process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanostructures (carbon nanotubes, nano carbon spheres, layered carbon nanostructures) were prepared from a sodium dodecyl sulfonate @ sodium chloride system. Sodium dodecyl sulfonate was used as a carbon source. A sodium chloride crystal in the carbonization procedure was used to separate ordered aggregates of sodium dodecyl sulfonate. The results show that different carbon nanostructures were prepared at low concentrations (1CMC~5CMC) by controlling the concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfonate, such as nano carbon spheres and carbon nanotubes, and that layered carbon nanostructures were formed at high concentrations (10CMC). The prepared carbon nanostructures were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, fluorescence spectrometry and Raman spectrometry. The results of this experiment show that the surfactant @ salt system is a potential method for the preparation of carbon nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in humans. Hepatocytes normally undergo dedifferentiation after the onset of hepatocellular carcinoma, which in turn facilitates the progression of cancer. Although the process of hepatocellular carcinoma dedifferentiation is of significant research and clinical value, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying it are still not fully characterized. We constructed a zebrafish liver cancer model based on overexpression of the oncogene krasG12V to investigate the hepatocyte dedifferentiation in hepatocellular carcinoma. We found that, after hepatocarcinogenesis, hepatocytes dedifferentiated and the Notch signaling pathway was upregulated in this progress. Furthermore, we found that inhibition of the Notch signaling pathway or deficiency of sox9b both prevented hepatocyte dedifferentiation following hepatocellular carcinoma induction, reducing cancer metastasis and improving survival. In conclusion, we found that hepatocytes undergo dedifferentiation after hepatocarcinogenesis, a process that requires Notch signaling and likewise the activation of Sox9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants have evolved a series of inducible or constitutive defense mechanisms in response to herbivore attack. Constitutive plant defenses are morphological and biochemical traits of the plants themselves, regardless of the presence of herbivores. We bred an alfalfa variety (Caoyuan No.4) with high thrips resistance, but the mechanisms underlying Caoyuan No.4 resistance to thrips are not well understood. To explore the constitutive defense of Caoyuan No.4, the morphological and biochemical traits associated with constitutive defense to thrips in alfalfa were analyzed using a thrips-susceptible alfalfa accession (Caoyuan No.2) as a control. The results showed that Caoyuan No.4 had thicker palisade tissue and parenchyma tissue, wider collenchyma, phloem, cambium and lignin layer, and smaller epidermal cells and stomatal aperture compared to Caoyuan No.2. Moreover, Caoyuan No.4 showed more non-glandular trichomes in both leaves and stems, but less glandular trichomes and more wax in stems. In addition, the results of the widely targeted metabolomics analysis showed that metabolites related to flavonoid, isoflavonoid, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, as well as cysteine and methionine metabolism, differed between CaoyuanNo.2 and Caoyuan No.4. These findings shed new light on the constitutive insect defense of plants associated with physical or biochemical traits and may provide convenient markers for breeding thrips-resistant alfalfa cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Related to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic leading to COVID-19 illness, patients with cancer comorbidity are known to have a higher risk of developing severe viral-related events, including death. To date, there are few treatments with proven efficacy for COVID-19. Vitamin C administered intravenously (IVC) has been extensively investigated in cancer treatment with a known safety profile and has been proposed to play a role in managing COVID-19. IVC was used to treat COVID-19 patients in hospitals in China, USA, and Europe with reported benefits. We report here unexpected beneficial results from the use of IVC in two severely ill oncology patients with documented COVID-19 lung disease. Case Report: two oncology patients were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Prior to receiving IVC, lung infiltrates and systemic inflammation in both patients were progressing despite multiple anti-viral, antibiotic, and anti-inflammatory treatments with intensive supportive care. Both patients subsequently received 12 g of IVC delivered intravenously over 30 min, given 2 times daily for 7 days. Serial SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid tests showed that the viral load was negative only after the 7-day IVC treatment. In both patients after receiving IVC infusions, imaging by chest CT or X-ray showed improving lung infiltrates. There were reductions in systematic inflammation by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) testing. No adverse events were observed related to IVC treatment. Conclusion: the use of high-dose IVC demonstrated unexpected clinical benefits in treating COVID-19 in two cancer patients presenting with complicated severe comorbidities where an unfavorable prognosis was anticipated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately predicting the thermal characteristics and heat transfer distribution of the rotating detonation engine (RDE) and acquiring a clear understanding of the performance and mechanism of the rotating detonation are of great significance for achieving the safe and reliable long-duration operation of RDEs. Using RP-3 as fuel, a long-duration experimental study is performed on a 220 mm-diameter RDC to investigate the details with respect to the thermal environment. The heat flux at the typical location and the average heat flux of both the inner and outer cylinders are measured, respectively. Meanwhile, the peak pressure of the rotating detonation wave (RDW) and specific thrust are analyzed. When the ER is between 0.5 and 1 (oxidizer 2 kg/s), the stable rotating detonation mode is obtained, and the detonation duration is set as 40 s to accurately calculate the heat released by the detonation combustion. The heat flux in the upstream region of the RDW location ranges from 2.40 × 105 W/m2 to 3.17 × 105 W/m2, and the heat flux in the downstream area of the RDW location ranges from 1.05 × 106 W/m2 to 1.28 × 106 W/m2. The results demonstrate the important role of the detonation combustion zone, and the thrust performance of RDC can be improved by making the RDW move forward along the RDC axis, which is the optimal direction of detonation combustion. Through a comparison of average heat flux under different conditions, it is found that the heat released by the RDC is directly related to its thrust. In addition, the average heat flux of the inner cylinder is about three times that of the outer cylinder for the two-phase RDC with a Tesla valve intake structure, indicating that the high-temperature combustion product is closer to the inner wall. Therefore, more thermal protection should be allocated to the inner cylinder, and a more systematic analysis of the two-phase flow field distribution in the annular combustion chamber should be carried out to improve the thrust performance. In this paper, the average heat flux of the inner and outer cylinders of the RDC as well as the typical local heat flux of the outer cylinders is quantitatively measured by means of experiments, which not only deepens the understanding of RDC flow field distribution, but also provides quantitative boundary conditions for the thermal protection design of RDCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the frequency of strokes has been on the rise year by year and has become the second leading cause of death around the world, which is characterized by a high mortality rate, high recurrence rate, and high disability rate. Ischemic strokes account for a large percentage of strokes. A reperfusion injury in ischemic strokes is a complex cascade of oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, immune infiltration, and mitochondrial damage. Conventional treatments are ineffective, and the presence of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) leads to inefficient drug delivery utilization, so researchers are turning their attention to nano-drug delivery systems. Functionalized nano-drug delivery systems have been widely studied and applied to the study of cerebral ischemic diseases due to their favorable biocompatibility, high efficiency, strong specificity, and specific targeting ability. In this paper, we briefly describe the pathological process of reperfusion injuries in strokes and focus on the therapeutic research progress of nano-drug delivery systems in ischemic strokes, aiming to provide certain references to understand the progress of research on nano-drug delivery systems (NDDSs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen and phosphorus play essential roles in ecosystems and organisms. However, with the development of industry and agriculture in recent years, excessive N and P have flowed into water bodies, leading to eutrophication, algal proliferation, and red tides, which are harmful to aquatic organisms. Biochar has a high specific surface area, abundant functional groups, and porous structure, which can effectively adsorb nitrogen and phosphorus in water, thus reducing environmental pollution, achieving the reusability of elements. This article provides an overview of the preparation of biochar, modification methods of biochar, advancements in the adsorption of nitrogen and phosphorus by biochar, factors influencing the adsorption of nitrogen and phosphorus in water by biochar, as well as reusability and adsorption mechanisms. Furthermore, the difficulties encountered and future research directions regarding the adsorption of nitrogen and phosphorus by biochar were proposed, providing references for the future application of biochar in nitrogen and phosphorus adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internal depositional architecture and sand body distribution are the main challenges faced in the development of gravity flow channel deposits in China. Despite significant progress in the exploration and development of gravity flow deposits in recent years, our understanding of the internal architecture of composite sand bodies within gravity flow channels is still limited. Gravity flow channels represent a widely developed sedimentary type in the Shahejie Formation of the Banqiao Oilfield, Huanghua Depression. The lack of understanding of the spatial stacking relationship of gravity flow channel sand bodies hinders further development and remaining oil recovery within the oilfield. Through this study, we aimed to dissect the composite channels (5th architectural units) and single channels (4th architectural units) at the study area, using a combination of well logs and seismic data. We explored the identification criteria and spatial distribution characteristics of internal architectural elements within gravity flow channel reservoirs, based on abundant drilling data, well density grids, and 3D seismic data. By identifying and delineating single channels, we were able to summarize six identification criteria for single channels, including relative elevation differences, curve shapes, and the number of interbeds. We obtained the sand body scale and aspect ratio of single channels and established three depositional architectural patterns, i.e., isolated, lateral migration, and vertical accretion, thus revealing the differences in the spatial stacking relationships of sand bodies in different structural locations (blocks). This work provides new insights into the depositional architectural patterns of gravity flow channel deposits in the Banqiao Oilfield, Huanghua Depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore the horizontal joint connection performance of the innovative tooth groove connection and vertical reinforcement lapping in the reserved hole, five horizontal joint specimens were designed and constructed in this paper. Through the combination of monotonic horizontal load tests and finite element simulation analysis, the effects of axial compression ratio, vertical reinforcement connection degree, reserved hole type, mortar strength, and tooth groove depth on the horizontal joint connection performance of innovative tooth groove connections and vertical reinforcement lapping in reserved holes were comprehensively analyzed and discussed. The results indicated that the specimens were subjected to penetration failure at the tooth groove joint, but the vertical reinforcements and UHPC in reserved holes can effectively transfer the stress, ensuring satisfactory connection performance. With the increase in axial compression ratio and vertical reinforcement connection degree, the joint connection performance enhanced gradually, while the reserved hole type had little effect on the joint connection performance. In addition, it was found that increasing the mortar strength and the tooth groove depth can significantly improve the peak bearing capacity through finite element analysis. Finally, the optimization design suggestions for this innovative tooth groove connection and vertical reinforcement lapping in the reserved hole were given considering factors such as joint connection performance and construction assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astragalus membranaceus is a traditional Chinese medicine derived from the roots of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge., which has the same medicinal and edible uses in China. It is also widely used in daily food, and its pharmacological effects mainly include antioxidant effects, vascular softening effects, etc. Currently, it is increasingly widely used in the prevention of hypertension, cerebral ischemia, and stroke in China. Formononetin and its glucopyranoside (ononin) are both important components of Astragalus membranaceuss and may play important roles in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This study conducted metabolic studies using formononectin and its glucopyranoside (ononin), including a combination of the in vitro metabolism of Formonetin using rat liver S9 and the in vivo metabolism of ononin administered orally to rats. Five metabolites (Sm2, 7, 9, 10, and 12) were obtained from the solution incubated with formononetin and rat hepatic S9 fraction using chromatographic methods. The structures of the five metabolites were elucidated as (Sm2)6,7,4′-trihydroxy-isoflavonoid; (Sm7)7,4′-dihydroxy-isoflavonoid; (Sm9)7,8,4′-trihydroxy-isoflavonoid; (Sm10)7,8,-dihydroxy-4′-methoxy-isoflavonoid; and (Sm12)6,7-dihydroxy-4′-methoxy- isoflavonoid on the basis of UV, NMR, and MS data. Totally, 14 metabolites were identified via HPLC-DAD-ESI-IT-TOF-MSn analysis, from which the formononetin was incubated with rat hepatic S9 fraction, and the main metabolic pathways were hydroxylation, demethylation, and glycosylation. Then, 21 metabolites were identified via HPLC-DAD-ESI-IT-TOF-MSn analysis from the urine samples from SD rats to which ononin was orally administered, and the main metabolic pathways were glucuronidation, hydroxylation, demethylation, and sulfonation. The main difference between the in vitro metabolism of formononetin and the in vivo metabolism of ononin is that ononin undergoes deglycemic transformation into Formonetin in the rat intestine, while Formonetin is absorbed into the bloodstream for metabolism, and the metabolic products also produce combined metabolites during in vivo metabolism. The six metabolites obtained from the aforementioned separation indicate the primary forms of formononetin metabolism, and due to their higher contents of similar isoflavone metabolites, they are considered the main active compounds that are responsible for pharmacological effects. To investigate the metabolites of the active ingredients of formononetin in the rat liver S9 system, network pharmacology was used to evaluate the cardiovascular disease (CVD) activities of the six primary metabolites that were structurally identified. Additionally, the macromolecular docking results of six main components and two core targets (HSP90AA1 and SRC) related to CVD showed that formononetin and its main metabolites, Sm10 and Sm12, may have roles in CVD treatment due to their strong binding activities with the HSP90AA1 receptor, while the Sm7 metabolite may have a role in CVD treatment due to its strong binding activity with the SRC receptor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence is changing and influencing our world. As one of the main algorithms in the field of artificial intelligence, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have developed rapidly in recent years. Especially after the emergence of NASNet, CNNs have gradually pushed the idea of AutoML to the public's attention, and large numbers of new structures designed by automatic searches are appearing. These networks are usually based on reinforcement learning and evolutionary learning algorithms. However, sometimes, the blocks of these networks are complex, and there is no small model for simpler tasks. Therefore, this paper proposes POSS-CNN aiming at target recognition and detection, which employs a multi-branch CNN structure with PSNC and a method of automatic parallel selection for super parameters based on a multi-branch CNN structure. Moreover, POSS-CNN can be broken up. By choosing a single branch or the combination of two branches as the "benchmark", as well as the overall POSS-CNN, we can achieve seven models with different precision and operations. The test accuracy of POSS-CNN for a recognition task tested on a CIFAR10 dataset can reach 86.4%, which is equivalent to AlexNet and VggNet, but the operation and parameters of the whole model in this paper are 45.9% and 45.8% of AlexNet, and 29.5% and 29.4% of VggNet. The mAP of POSS-CNN for a detection task tested on the LSVH dataset is 45.8, inferior to the 62.3 of YOLOv3. However, compared with YOLOv3, the operation and parameters of the model in this paper are reduced by 57.4% and 15.6%, respectively. After being accelerated by WRA, POSS-CNN for a detection task tested on an LSVH dataset can achieve 27 fps, and the energy efficiency is 0.42 J/f, which is 5 times and 96.6 times better than GPU 2080Ti in performance and energy efficiency, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of the Cr element on the corrosion behavior of as-spun Fe72−xCrxB19.2Si4.8Nb4 ribbons with x = 0, 7.2, 21.6, and 36 in 3.5% NaCl solution were investigated in this work. The results show that the glass formability of the alloys can be increased as Cr content (cCr) is added up to 21.6 at.%. When cCr reaches 36 at.%, some nanocrystals appear in the as-spun ribbon. With increasing cCr content, the corrosion resistances of as-spun Fe-based ribbons are continually improved as well as their hardness properties; during the polarization test, their passive film shows an increase first and then a decrease, with the highest pitting potential as cCr = 7.2 at.%, which is confirmed by an XPS test. The dense passivation film, composed of Cr2O3 and [CrOx(OH)3−2x, nH2O], can reduce the number of corrosion pits on the sample surface due to chloride corrosion and possibly be deteriorated by the overdosed CrFeB phase. This work can help us to design and prepare the highly corrosion-resistant Fe-based alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viscoelasticity of the soft tissue is an important mechanical factor for disease diagnosis, biomaterials testing and fabrication. Here, we present a real-time and high-resolution viscoelastic response-optical coherence elastography (VisR-OCE) method based on acoustic radiation force (ARF) excitation and optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. The relationship between displacements induced by two sequential ARF loading—unloading and the relaxation time constant of the soft tissue—is established for the Kelvin-Voigt material. Through numerical simulation, the optimal experimental parameters are determined, and the influences of material parameters are evaluated. Virtual experimental results show that there is less than 4% fluctuation in the relaxation time constant values obtained when various Young's modulus and Poisson's ratios were given for simulation. The accuracy of the VisR-OCE method was validated by comparing with the tensile test. The relaxation time constant of phantoms measured by VisR-OCE differs from the tensile test result by about 3%. The proposed VisR-OCE method may provide an effective tool for quick and nondestructive viscosity testing of biological tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shp2 (Src-homology 2 domain-containing phosphatase 2) was originally reported as an oncogene in kinds of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. However, recent studies indicated that Shp2 may act as tumor suppressors in several tumor types. We investigated the function of Shp2 in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC). The expression level of Shp2 was analyzed in tumor tissues in comparison with adjacent normal tissues of ESCC patients by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. Shp2 was knocked down by Short hairpin RNA to evaluate its function in ESCC cell lines. The relationship between Shp2 and p-Stat3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) in human ESCC tissues was statistically examined. A significant low expression of Shp2 was found in ESCC tissues. Low expression of Shp2 was related to poorer overall survival in patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. Knockdown of Shp2 increased the growth of ESCC cell lines both in vivo and vitro. Activation of Stat3 (p-Stat3) was induced by Shp2 depletion. Expression of p-Stat3 was negatively correlated with Shp2 expression in ESCC tissues. Furthermore, knockdown of Shp2 attenuated cisplatin-sensitivity of ESCC cells. Shp2 might suppress the proliferation of ESCC by dephosphorylation of p-Stat3 and represents a novel research field for targeted therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NCOA7 is a nuclear receptor coactivator that is downregulated in a variety of cancers. However, the expression and prognostic significance of NCOA7 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remain unknown. The expression of NCOA7 in ccRCC tissues was analyzed using bioinformatics analysis, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Kaplan–Meier analysis, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and clinicopathological correlation analysis were used to assess the predictive power of NCOA7. Overexpression function tests were conducted in cells and mouse models to clarify the function and mechanism of NCOA7 in inhibiting the progression of ccRCC. NCOA7 expression was downregulated in all three subtypes of renal cell carcinoma, and only had significant prognostic value for patients with ccRCC. NCOA7 overexpression inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of ccRCC cells in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, NCOA7 inhibited the MAPK/ERK pathway to regulate epithelial–mesenchymal transformation (EMT) and apoptosis, thereby inhibiting the progression of ccRCC. NCOA7 inhibits tumor growth and metastasis of ccRCC through the MAPK/ERK pathway, thus indicating its potential as a prognostic marker and therapeutic target for ccRCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing demand for eco-friendly, non-petroleum-based natural rubber (NR) products, sepiolite, a naturally abundant, one-dimensional clay mineral, has been identified as a suitable material for reinforcing NR through the latex compounding method. To create superior NR/sepiolite composites, three silane coupling agents with different functional groups were used to modify sepiolite in situ via grafting or adsorption during the disaggregation and activation of natural sepiolite, which were subsequently mixed with natural rubber latex (NRL) to prepare the composites. The results showed that the modified sepiolite improved the dispersion and interfacial bonding strength with the rubber matrix. VTES-modified sepiolite containing C=C groups slightly improved the performance but retarded the vulcanization of the NR composites, and MPTES and TESPT-modified sepiolites containing -SH and −S4− groups, respectively, effectively accelerated vulcanization, inducing the composites to form a denser crosslink network structure, and exhibiting excellent dynamic and static properties, such as the modulus at a 300% increase from 8.82 MPa to 16.87 MPa, a tear strength increase from 49.6 N·mm−1 to 60.3 N·mm−1, as well as an improved rolling resistance and abrasive resistance of the composites. These findings demonstrate that modified sepiolite can be used to produce high-quality NR/sepiolite composites with enhanced properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rebar corrosion is the primary cause of the durability degradation of reinforced concrete (RC) structures, where non-uniform corrosion is the typical pattern in engineering. This study experimentally and numerically investigated the tensile degradation properties of non-uniform corroded rebars. Corrosion morphology was accurately determined by three-dimensional (3D) laser scanning techniques, studying the characteristics of longitudinal non-uniform corrosion. The results showed that the non-uniformity of corrosion increased with an increase in corrosion levels. From tensile tests, the differences in nominal stress–strain curves among rebars with similar average corrosion levels indicated that corrosion non-uniformity has appreciable effects on the tensile behavior of rebars. The residual load-bearing capacity of corroded rebars was dominated by the reduced critical cross-section, while residual ductility was associated with the cross-section loss throughout the entire length of rebars. The degradation relations of nominal yield and ultimate strength, ultimate strain, and elongation after fracture were better correlated to the maximum cross-section loss than to the average volume loss. Additionally, numerical calculation based on the cross-sectional areas of corroded rebars was conducted to evaluate the tensile behavior of non-uniform corroded rebars. Equivalent distribution models simulating the longitudinal non-uniform corrosion were proposed, on the basis of probability characteristics of cross-sectional areas, for practical application of the numerical method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrothermal alteration minerals are an effective prospecting indicator. Advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer (ASTER) satellite data are some of the most commonly adopted multispectral data for the mapping of hydrothermal alteration minerals. Compared to multispectral data, hyperspectral data have stronger ground object recognition ability. Chinese Gaofen-5 (GF-5) is the first hyperspectral satellite independently developed by China that has the advantages of both wide-width and high-spectral-resolution technology. However, the mapping ability of GF5 data for hydrothermal alteration minerals requires further study. In this study, ASTER and GF-5 satellite data were implemented to map hydrothermal alteration minerals in the Longtoushan Pb-Zn deposit, SW China. Selective principal component analysis (SPCA) technology was employed to map iron oxide/hydroxides, argillic, quartz, and carbonate minerals at the pixel level using ASTER data, and the mixture tuned matched filtering (MTMF) method was implemented for the extracted hematite, kaolinite, calcite, and dolomite at the sub-pixel level using GF-5 data. When mapping the hydrothermal alteration minerals, the distribution features of the hydrothermal alteration minerals from the Longtoushan Pb-Zn deposit were systematically revealed. A comprehensive field investigation and petrographic study were conducted to verify the extraction accuracy of the hydrothermal alteration minerals. The results showed that the overall accuracies for the ASTER and GF-5 data were 82.6 and 92.9 and that the kappa coefficients were 0.78 and 0.90, respectively. This indicates that the GF-5 data are able to map hydrothermal alteration minerals well and that they can be promoted as a hyperspectral data source for mapping systematic hydrothermal alteration minerals in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we describe a rotation angle measurement system (RAMS) based on an inertial measurement unit (IMU) developed to measure the rotation angle of a movable surface. The existing IMU-based attitude (tilt) sensor can only accurately measure the rotation angle when the rotation axis of the movable surface is perfectly aligned with the X axis or Y axis of the sensor, which is always not possible in real-world engineering. To overcome the difficulty of sensor installation and ensure measurement accuracy, first, we build a model to describe the relationship between the rotation axis and the IMU. Then, based on the built model, we propose a simple online method to estimate the direction of the rotation axis without using a complicated apparatus and a method to estimate the rotation angle using the known rotation axis based on the extended Kalman filter (EKF). Using the estimated rotation axis direction, we can effectively eliminate the influence of the mounting position on the measurement results. In addition, the zero-velocity detection (ZVD) technique is used to ensure the reliability of the rotation axis direction estimation and is used in combination with the EKF as the switching signal to adaptively adjust the noise covariance matrix. Finally, the experimental results show that the developed RAMS has a static measurement error of less than 0.05° and a dynamic measurement error of less than 1° in the range of ±180°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributed scatterers (DSs) are necessary to increase point density in multi-temporal InSAR (MT-InSAR) monitoring. The identification of homogeneous pixels (HPs) is the first and key step for DS processing to overcome the low signal-to-noise ratio condition. Since multi-polarization data are good at describing geometrical structures and dielectric properties of ground objects, they have been applied for HP identification. However, polarimetric information is not enough for identifying areas with similar ground objects but different deformation. We propose a novel DS preprocessing algorithm based on polarimetric interferometric homogeneous pixel (PIHP) identification. Firstly, a novel Polarimetric InSAR (PolInSAR) similarity that combines polarimetric intensity, interferometric coherence, and phase is proposed, which is readily available in multi-baseline and multi-polarization data and flexible by controlling weighting factors. Secondly, based on the binary partition tree (BPT) framework, object-orientated multi-scale PIHP identification is achieved, which is suitable for complex deformation scenes. Tested with simulated quad-polarization data, our method shows improvement in phase quality and point density, especially in the deformed areas, compared with the traditional HP identification method based on the polarimetric homogeneity (PolHom) test and the method with ground object type map. Tested with 30 quad-polarization Radarsat-2 images over Kilauea Volcano, the point density of our method is three times higher than that of the PolHom test in vegetation areas. Our method is proven to be more sensitive and mechanically more advanced to homogeneous pixels identification than the traditional ones, which is helpful for phase optimization, spatial enlargement of monitoring points, and stability of the MT-InSAR algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensemble learning systems (ELS) have been widely utilized for human activity recognition (HAR) with multiple homogeneous or heterogeneous sensors. However, traditional ensemble approaches for HAR cannot always work well due to insufficient accuracy and diversity of base classifiers, the absence of ensemble pruning, as well as the inefficiency of the fusion strategy. To overcome these problems, this paper proposes a novel selective ensemble approach with group decision-making (GDM) for decision-level fusion in HAR. As a result, the fusion process in the ELS is transformed into an abstract process that includes individual experts (base classifiers) making decisions with the GDM fusion strategy. Firstly, a set of diverse local base classifiers are constructed through the corresponding mechanism of the base classifier and the sensor. Secondly, the pruning methods and the number of selected base classifiers for the fusion phase are determined by considering the diversity among base classifiers and the accuracy of candidate classifiers. Two ensemble pruning methods are utilized: mixed diversity measure and complementarity measure. Thirdly, component decision information from the selected base classifiers is combined by using the GDM fusion strategy and the recognition results of the HAR approach can be obtained. Experimental results on two public activity recognition datasets (The OPPORTUNITY dataset; Daily and Sports Activity Dataset (DSAD)) suggest that the proposed GDM-based approach outperforms the well-known fusion techniques and other state-of-the-art approaches in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep learning techniques such as convolutional neural networks have largely improved the performance of building segmentation from remote sensing images. However, the images for building segmentation are often in the form of traditional orthophotos, where the relief displacement would cause non-negligible misalignment between the roof outline and the footprint of a building; such misalignment poses considerable challenges for extracting accurate building footprints, especially for high-rise buildings. Aiming at alleviating this problem, a new workflow is proposed for generating rectified building footprints from traditional orthophotos. We first use the facade labels, which are prepared efficiently at low cost, along with the roof labels to train a semantic segmentation network. Then, the well-trained network, which employs the state-of-the-art version of EfficientNet as backbone, extracts the roof segments and the facade segments of buildings from the input image. Finally, after clustering the classified pixels into instance-level building objects and tracing out the roof outlines, an energy function is proposed to drive the roof outline to maximally align with the building footprint; thus, the rectified footprints can be generated. The experiments on the aerial orthophotos covering a high-density residential area in Shanghai demonstrate that the proposed workflow can generate obviously more accurate building footprints than the baseline methods, especially for high-rise buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]