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Offshore wind-to-hydrogen production is an effective means of solving the problems of large-scale grid-connected consumption and high power transmission costs of offshore wind power. Site selection is a core component in planning offshore wind-to-hydrogen facilities, involving careful consideration of multiple factors, and is a classic multi-criteria decision-making problem. Therefore, this study proposes a multi-criteria decision-making method based on the two-dimensional linguistic cloud model to optimize site selection for offshore wind-to-hydrogen bases. Firstly, the alternative schemes are evaluated using two-dimensional linguistic information, and a new model for transforming two-dimensional linguistic information into a normal cloud is constructed. Then, the cloud area overlap degree is defined to calculate the interaction factor between decision-makers, and a multi-objective programming model based on maximum deviation-minimum correlation is established. Following this, the Pareto solution of criteria weights is solved using the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II, and the alternatives are sorted and selected through the cloud-weighted average operator. Finally, an index system was constructed in terms of resource conditions, planning conditions, external conditions, and other dimensions, and a case study was conducted using the location of offshore wind-to-hydrogen production bases in Shanghai. The method proposed in this study demonstrates strong robustness and can provide a basis for these multi-criteria decision-making problems with solid qualitative characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wave erosion of slopes can easily trigger landslides into marine environments and pose severe threats to both the ecological environment and human activities. Therefore, near-shore slope monitoring becomes crucial for preventing and alerting people to these potential disasters. To achieve a comprehensive understanding, it is imperative to conduct a detailed investigation into the dynamics of wave erosion processes acting on slopes. This research is conducted through flume tests, using a wave maker to create waves of various heights and frequencies to erode the slope models. During the tests, seismic signals, acoustic signals, and pore pressure generated by wave erosion and slope failure are recorded. Seismic and acoustic signals are analyzed, and time-frequency spectra are calculated using the Hilbert–Huang Transform to identify the erosion events and signal frequency ranges. Arias Intensity is used to assess seismic energy and explore the relationship between the amount of erosion and energy. The results show that wave height has a more decisive influence on erosion behavior and retreat than wave frequency. Rapid drawdown may potentially cause the slope to slide during cyclic swash and backwash wave action. As wave erosion changes from swash to impact, there is a significant increase in the spectral magnitude and Power Spectral Density (PSD) of both seismic and acoustic signals. An increase in pore pressure is observed due to the rise in the run-up height of waves. The amplitude of pore pressure will increase as the slope undergoes further erosion. Understanding the results of this study can aid in predicting erosion and in planning effective management strategies for slopes subject to wave action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Lung and cardiovascular diseases are leading causes of mortality worldwide, yet early detection remains challenging due to the subtle symptoms. Digital clubbing, characterized by the bulbous enlargement of the fingertips, serves as an early indicator of these diseases. This study aims to develop an automated system for detecting digital clubbing using deep-learning models for real-time monitoring and early intervention. Methods: The proposed system utilizes the YOLOv8 model for object detection and U-Net for image segmentation, integrated with the ESP32-CAM development board to capture and analyze finger images. The severity of digital clubbing is determined using a custom algorithm based on the Lovibond angle theory, categorizing the condition into normal, mild, moderate, and severe. The system was evaluated using 1768 images and achieved cloud-based and real-time processing capabilities. Results: The system demonstrated high accuracy (98.34%) in real-time detection with precision (98.22%), sensitivity (99.48%), and specificity (98.22%). Cloud-based processing achieved slightly lower but robust results, with an accuracy of 96.38%. The average processing time was 0.15 s per image, showcasing its real-time potential. Conclusions: This automated system provides a scalable and cost-effective solution for the early detection of digital clubbing, enabling timely intervention for lung and cardiovascular diseases. Its high accuracy and real-time capabilities make it suitable for both clinical and home-based health monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to formulate a black bean soy sauce using black beans and black rice as media for the solid-state fermentation of white truffle. Various proportions of these media (4:0, 3:1, 2:2, 1:3, and 0:4) were prepared, with methionine concentrations (0, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9, 1.2, and 1.5%) serving as precursors for a 4-week solid-state fermentation to analyze the aroma profiles. GC-MS analysis showed that samples with 1.5% methionine exhibited significantly higher levels of sulfur-containing volatile compounds compared to those without methionine. GC-IMS analysis revealed that a 2:2 ratio of black beans to black rice produced the most enriched aroma. Lower methionine levels improved mycelial growth, with 0.3% methionine yielding the richest aroma components. After fermentation, the white truffle products were sterilized using autoclaving, hot air assisted radio frequency (HARF), and high pressure processing (HPP), followed by freeze drying. GC-IMS analysis showed that HPP samples had an aroma closest to fresh samples, whereas HARF and autoclave resulted in similar aromas. However, 24 h freeze drying significantly diminished the aroma, resulting in no significant difference in aroma among the freeze-dried products treated with different sterilization methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a major role in the tumor microenvironment (TME), which facilitates the progression of CRC. It is critical to understand how CAFs promote the progression of CRC for the development of novel therapeutic approaches. The purpose of this study was to understand how CAF-derived stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and its interactions with the corresponding C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) promote CRC progression. Our study focused on their roles in promoting tumor cell migration and invasion and their effects on the characteristics of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which ultimately impact patient outcomes. Here, using in vivo approaches and clinical histological samples, we analyzed the influence of secreted SDF-1 on CRC progression, especially in terms of tumor cell behavior and stemness. We demonstrated that CAF-secreted SDF-1 significantly enhanced CRC cell migration and invasion through paracrine signaling. In addition, the overexpression of SDF-1 in CRC cell lines HT29 and HCT-116 triggered these cells to generate autocrine SDF-1 signaling, which further enhanced their CSC characteristics, including those of migration, invasion, and spheroid formation. An immunohistochemical study showed a close relationship between SDF-1 and CXCR4 expression in CRC tissue, and this significantly affected patient outcomes. The administration of AMD3100, an inhibitor of CXCR4, reversed the entire phenomenon. Our results strongly suggest that targeting this signaling axis in CRC is a feasible approach to attenuating tumor progression, and it may, therefore, serve as an alternative treatment method to improve the prognosis of patients with CRC, especially those with advanced, recurrent, or metastatic CRC following standard therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the operation of the first route in Xi'an City, the matching relationship between the metro networks and the urban population is a root factor affecting the utilization of rail transit facilities. The mismatch between the metro networks and the urban population has led to an imbalance between the supply and demand for rail transport, resulting in wasted urban infrastructure. Based on this issue, the research objective is to focus on the spatiotemporal variations of the matching relationship. Firstly, the topological network model abstractly extracted metro spatial distribution features, and the spatial autocorrelation model was adopted to identify the evolution characteristics of the metro networks and urban population. Secondly, this paper adopted a time-lagged regression model to demonstrate the action relationship from 2011 to 2021. Then, the compositive coordination index was utilized to assess the variation of the global matching relationship. Finally, the paper explored spatial heterogeneity through the coupling coherence degree attached to grid cells. The research results indicate that the Moran's I value of metro elements decreased from 0.782 to 0.510 with the further complexity of topological networks, while the population was consistently high in spatial dependence with a Moran's I value of around 0.75 during the decade. Based on the regression coefficients and significance, this paper verified the hypothesis that the metro networks and urban population had a positive time-lagged feedback effect in urban development. From 2011 to 2021, the compositive coordination index symbolizing the global matching relationship increased from 0.29 to 0.90, but the coupling coherence degree shows significant spatial heterogeneity in different grid units. Differentiated spatial planning strategies were proposed for varied areas to efficiently utilize rail transit, which may provide a reference for other cities with the same reality problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a summary of a special issue of the journal "Sustainability" focused on earthquake engineering and its application. It includes 19 works that aim to improve understanding of earthquake engineering and enhance the safety of structures and inhabitants. The articles cover various topics such as ground motion characteristics, soil dynamics, behavior of structures, and methods for earthquake resilience and retrofitting. The research presented in this special issue provides new knowledge and insights into earthquake engineering and offers innovative ideas for future development in the field. The authors express their gratitude to the journal and the reviewers for their support and contributions to the special issue. [Extracted from the article]

Mulching cultivation with agricultural wastes is the main production pattern of coffee at present, but the effect of mulching cultivation on photosynthetic physiological processes of coffee plants is still not clear. Therefore, a randomized block design was adopted to establish a field experiment by one-year-old Coffee Canephora seedlings in this study. There were four types of mulch treatments, including non-mulch coffee waste (C), mulching coffee litter (L), mulching coffee cascara (cherry pericarp, P), and mulching coffee litter and cascara (LP) in this field experiment. Soil properties and microenvironment (e.g., moisture, temperature, pH, bulk density, organic matter content, alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen content, available potassium content, and available potassium content), agronomic traits (e.g., specific leaf area, leaf area index, plant height, and relative chlorophyll content), and photosynthetic indices (e.g., photosynthesis, transpiration, respiration, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO2 concentration, water use efficiency, and carbon use efficiency) were investigated to determine the effects of different coffee waste mulches on the photosynthetic physiology of coffee seedlings. The results show that coffee litter and cascara mulch significantly reduced soil temperature by 0.42 or 0.33 °C, respectively, and coffee litter rather than cascara mulch significantly increased the soil's available potassium content by 46.28%, although coffee waste mulch did not affect other soil properties or microenvironment indices; coffee cascara mulching significantly increased the specific leaf area and net and gross photosynthesis of coffee by 45.46%, 78.33%, and 91.72%, respectively, but the mulching treatments did not affect stomatal conductance, transpiration, or carbon use efficiency in this study. Additionally, coffee cascara mulching increased leaf respiration and net and gross water use efficiency by 109.34%, 80.54%, and 104.95%, respectively. The coffee cascara mulching alone had the most significant positive impact on the photosynthetic index, followed by a combination of litter and cascara, litter alone, and the control treatment. The observed variations in the coffee photosynthetic index may be attributed to the reduction of soil temperature caused by mulching treatments rather than the increase in soil nutrients content. These results indicate that coffee cascara mulching could effectively promote photosynthesis and the growth of coffee seedlings by improving the soil microenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antarctic krill (Euphausua superba) need to undergo freeze-drying to facilitate lipid extraction, but freeze-drying is time-consuming and energy-intensive, resulting in high processing costs. Microwave heating technology can reduce freeze-drying time and lower energy consumption costs. The objective of this study was to establish a drying kinetic model to help the microwave freeze-drying process by predicting krill drying time and evaluating the impact of the drying process on krill quality. The results showed that changing the microwave power did not alter the total energy requirement to complete drying when the sample weight was fixed. The total energy requirement for microwave drying increases with the sample weight. Comparing the three methods of freeze-drying (FD), microwave freeze-drying (MWFD), and hot-air drying at 55 °C (HAD) showed that they took 18, 0.67, and 16 h, respectively, to reach the drying endpoint for krill. Overall, HAD resulted in browning, shrinkage, and quality degradation of krill due to its high temperature and long duration. While the appearance and active ingredient contents of FD krill are slightly better than those of MWFD krill, FD requires a longer process and more energy. MWFD can reduce drying time by 20 times and energy consumption by 95% compared to FD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brown rice germination increases γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels and enhances its antioxidant activity. In this study, Kaohsiung 145 brown rice was used as the raw material, and soaked in various solutions for 6 h before being processed with either high-pressure processing (HPP) or ultrasonic treatment to increase the GABA content. The GABA and antioxidant components of brown rice were analyzed after 42 h of germination and subsequent air-drying to obtain a moisture content of 14%. The results showed that non-germinated brown rice had GABA at 7.10 mg/100 g and treatment with various soaking solutions (0.1% CaCl2, 0.1% Glu, 0.2% CaCl2, and 0.2% Glu) increased GABA contents. Specifically, 0.1% CaCl2 and 0.1% Glu exhibited higher GABA content, at 42.51 and 44.64 mg/100 g. Furthermore, the GABA content increased synergistically when combined with HPP (100 MPa, 10 min) and ultrasonic (20 min) treatments after soaking. The results showed that the GABA contents in germinated rice were the greatest after ultrasonic treatment, followed by HPP treatment, and the least with only soaking treatment. The treatments with 0.1% CaCl2 and 0.2% Glu combined with ultrasonic processing for 20 min resulted in the highest GABA content at 102.38 and 110.88 mg/100 g, respectively. Finally, 0.1% CaCl2 with ultrasonic treatment for 20 min was chosen, as it demonstrated a considerable improvement in total polyphenols content and DPPH scavenging abilities, as seen by improved scores in subsequent taste evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the application of microwave combined induction heating (MCIH) to steam ready-to-eat pork with rice powder, emphasizing the advantages of rapid and uniform heating. The experimental setup included a mixture of 180 g pork strips, 30 g rice powder, and 10 g water in a CPET tray using MCIH with 1080 W microwave (MW) and 130 °C induction heating (IH) for 150 s. The results showed a quick temperature increase rate of 0.56 °C/s that achieved pasteurization against a variety of pathogenic bacteria, such as Listeria monocytogenes, but not Clostridium botulinum, by lethality calculation. Compared to typical electric cooker steaming, MCIH significantly shortened cooking time (8.6 times faster). To address rice starch gelatinization, two-stage heating techniques to steam pork with rice powder were MCIH: 150 s, and then IH: 60 s (MW1), and MCIH: 180 s, and then IH: 30 s (MW2), with no significant differences seen in color or the nine-point taste scale between treatment groups. MCIH groups had smaller shear forces than control. After MCIH cooking, no microbial counts were detected in the MW1 and MW2 groups initially, and the pork with rice powder had a shelf life of 14 days at 4 °C based on aerobic plate count assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary adenocarcinoma (PADC) treatment limited efficacy in preventing tumor progression, often resulting in malignant pleural effusion (MPE). MPE is filled with various mediators, especially interleukin-8 (IL-8). However, the role of IL-8 and its signaling mechanism within the fluid microenvironment (FME) implicated in tumor progression warrants further investigation. Primary cultured cells from samples of patients with MPE from PADC, along with a commonly utilized lung cancer cell line, were employed to examine the role of IL-8 and its receptor, CXCR1, through comparative analysis. Our study primarily assessed migration and invasion capabilities, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and cancer stem cell (CSC) properties. Additionally, IL-8 levels in MPE fluid versus serum, along with immunohistochemical expression of IL-8/CXCR1 signaling in tumor tissue and cell blocks were analyzed. IL-8/CXCR1 overexpression enhanced EMT and CSC properties. Furthermore, the immunocytochemical examination of 17 cell blocks from patients with PADC and MPE corroborated the significant correlation between upregulated IL-8 and CXCR1 expression and the co-expression of IL-8 and CXCR1 in MPE with distant metastasis. In summary, the IL-8/ CXCR1 axis in FME is pivotal to tumor promotion via paracrine and autocrine signaling. Our study provides a therapeutic avenue for improving the prognosis of PADC patients with MPE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethylene (ET) is an important phytohormone that regulates plant growth, development and stress responses. The ethylene-insensitive3/ethylene-insensitive3-like (EIN3/EIL) transcription factor family, as a key regulator of the ET signal transduction pathway, plays an important role in regulating the expression of ET-responsive genes. Although studies of EIN3/EIL family members have been completed in many species, their role in doubled haploid (DH) poplar derived from another culture of diploid Populus simonii × P. nigra (donor tree, DT) remains ambiguous. In this study, a total of seven EIN3/EIL gene family members in the DH poplar genome were identified. Basic physical and chemical property analyses of these genes were performed, and these proteins were predicted to be localized to the nucleus. According to the phylogenetic relationship, EIN3/EIL genes were divided into two groups, and the genes in the same group had a similar gene structure and conserved motifs. The expression patterns of EIN3/EIL genes in the apical buds of different DH poplar plants were analyzed based on transcriptome data. At the same time, the expression patterns of PsnEIL1, PsnEIN3, PsnEIL4 and PsnEIL5 genes in different tissues of different DH plants were detected via RT-qPCR, including the apical buds, young leaves, functional leaves, xylem, cambium and roots. The findings presented above indicate notable variations in the expression levels of PsnEIL genes across various tissues of distinct DH plants. Finally, the PsnEIL1 gene was overexpressed in DT, and the transgenic plants showed a dwarf phenotype, indicating that the PsnEIL1 gene was involved in regulating the growth and development of poplar. In this study, the EIN3/EIL gene family of DH poplar was analyzed and functionally characterized, which provides a theoretical basis for the future exploration of the EIN3/EIL gene function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hot air-assisted radio frequency (HARF) is considered a rapid heating process. In order to improve the circular economy of agricultural byproducts, this study used different proportions of HARF stabilized rice bran (R) from milling rice, HARF dried ginseng residue (G) from ultrasonic extraction, and peanut residue (P) from HARF roasting and oil extraction as the Hericium erinaceus solid-state fermented media. Then, the whitening effects of water extracts from media and fermented products were analyzed. First, the surface temperature of 1 kg rice bran exceeded 90 °C after 3 min of 5 kW HARF heating, effectively deactivating lipase. The combinations of 1 kg of rice bran with 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 kg of ginseng residue (85% moisture content) were dried using 5 kW HARF. Each of the drying rates was about 27 g/min, and the drying periods were 14, 30, 46, and 62 min, respectively, which were used to reduce the moisture content below 10%. Compared to traditional air drying for ginseng residue, HARF drying may save up to 96% of time and 91% of energy consumption. Then, the ratio of dried R, G, and P was 4:1:1, mixed with 45% moisture as solid-state media for Hericium erinaceus and 5 weeks of cultivation at 25 °C. In comparison to the control group, the water extracts at 100 µg/mL from media R4G1, R4G1P1, and fermented HER4G1P1 products exhibited tyrosinase inhibition of 29.7%, 52.4%, and 50.7%, respectively. These extracts also reduced the relative melanin area of 78 hpf zebrafish embryos by 21.57%, 40.20%, and 58.03%, respectively. Therefore, HARF can quickly dry agricultural byproducts as media for Hericium erinaceus solid-state fermentation while also providing a significant whitening effect for cosmetic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bZIP (basic leucine zipper) transcription factors have been identified as key regulators of plant responses to drought stress, which limits plant growth and yield. Overexpression of bZIP genes has shown potential in enhancing drought tolerance in various plant species. However, the constrained types of individual studies and inconsistencies among experimental approaches has resulted in a lack of statistical significance and limited the extrapolation of bZIP transcription factor overexpression for plant improvement. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate ten measured parameters of drought tolerance in bZIP transcription factor-expressing plants as well as moderators affecting the performance of transgenic plants. The results showed that seven parameters, including survival rate as well as the content of regulatory substances (proline accumulation, H2O2 concentration, CAT activity, POD activity, SOD activity and MDA accumulation), were most affected while the impact on physiological status indicators is not significant. In addition, donor/recipient species, treatment medium, duration and methods of simulating drought stress all significantly impacted the degree of drought stress tolerance in plants to some extent among the considered moderators. The findings underscore the potential of bZIP transcription factors as key targets for genetic engineering approaches aimed at improving plant resilience to water scarcity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This collection of articles focuses on the occurrence, reduction, and restoration of natural disasters in mountain regions, with a particular emphasis on water- and sediment-related disasters. The articles highlight the increased severity and frequency of these disasters due to climate change and human development. They explore various mitigation strategies, including early warning systems and land-use management, and examine the socio-economic factors that influence the impact of these disasters. The articles provide insights into the challenges and strategies for mitigating these disasters in different regions, promoting a holistic and sustainable approach to disaster governance. [Extracted from the article]

Chitosan (CS) is widely used in biomedical hydrogels due to their similarity to extracellular matrix. However, the preparation method of CS-based hydrogel suffers the drawbacks of tedious operation, time-consuming and energy consumption. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop a rapid synthesis pathway towards hydrogels. In this work, we used a modified CS as a cross-linking agent and acrylic acid (AA) as monomer to prepare a hydrogel through frontal polymerization (FP), which facilitates a facile and rapid method achieved in several minutes. The occurrence of pure FP was confirmed via the frontal velocity and temperature profile measurement. In addition, the as-prepared hydrogel shows excellent mechanical strength up to 1.76 MPa, and the Young's modulus (ranging from 0.16 to 0.56 MPa) is comparable to human skin. The degradation mechanism is revealed by the micro-IR images through the distribution of the functional groups, which is attributed to the breakage of the ether bond. Moreover, the hydrogel exhibits excellent degradability, biocompatibility and antibacterial properties, offering great potentials in tissue engineering. We believe this work not only offers a facile and rapid FP method to fabricate a robust degradable hydrogel, but also provides an effective pathway for the investigation of the degradation mechanism at the chemical bond analysis level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A gradual decline in cognitive function occurs with age. Accumulating evidence suggests that certain probiotic strains exert beneficial effects on age-related cognitive decline. Our previous study revealed that Lactobacillus helveticus WHH1889 attenuated symptoms of anxiety and depression in depressed mice via shaping the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) metabolism and gut microbial community, indicating the psychobiotic potential of WHH1889. In the present study, the effects of WHH1889 on age-related cognitive decline were investigated. WHH1889 was orally administrated (1 × 109 CFU/day) for twelve weeks in aged mice, and their cognitive behaviors, neurochemical factors, cognitive-related gene expressions, neuroinflammation, and serum tryptophan pathway-targeted metabolic profiling, as well as gut microbiome composition were assessed. WHH1889 demonstrated improvement of the cognitive behaviors via the novel object recognition test (NORT), the active shuttle avoidance test (ASAT), the Y-maze test, and the passive avoidance test (PAT). The hippocampal neuronal loss; the declined concentrations of BDNF, 5-HT, and 5-HTP; the decreased gene expressions of neurodegeneration biomarkers; and the increased production of hippocampal inflammatory cytokines in aged mice were restored by WHH1889. In addition, WHH1889 increased the 5-HT/5HTP levels and decreased the serum levels of tryptophan-derived metabolites (e.g., kynurenine, xanthurenic acid, 3-hydroxykynurenine, and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid). Furthermore, WHH1889 was revealed to shape the gut microbiota community by reversing the relative abundances of Bacteroidota and Firmicutes. The present findings suggest that L. helveticus WHH1889 exerted cognitive improving effects on aged mice, which was associated with the modulation of 5-HT and 5-HTP metabolism and gut microbial composition. The supplementation of WHH1889 may therefore be a promising therapeutic agent for age-related cognitive deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold-formed steel channel beam components are increasingly used in lightweight steel buildings owing to the high strength–weight ratio. However, the influence of cold working processes, in relation to corner regions, and how this impacts the bending behavior of channel beams lacks thorough evaluation. In the present study, a series of coupon and bending tests were conducted and the numerical simulation and analytical derivation were supplemented, aiming to investigate the bending performance of cold-formed steel channel beams considering the reinforcement effect in corner regions. The results show that the engineering stress–strain relationships of the flat and corner coupons conformed to the trilinear models with different characteristic parameters. The yielding and ultimate strengths of the corner specimens was increased by 50% and 7%, respectively, compared to the flat coupons due to the cold-bending technique. The strain distribution of the cold-formed channel beams accord with the plane section while the stresses at the corners were 35% higher than those at the flanges, indicting the different mechanical response of the flat and corner regions. The component-based model for cold-formed steel channel beams was established to exactly describe the influence of the cold-bending action, which was greatly validated by the experimental and numerical data with the errors of typical parameters less than 9%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal smoking in pregnancy (MSP) affects the offspring's DNA methylation (DNAm). There is a lack of knowledge regarding individual differences in susceptibility to exposure to MSP. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) genes are involved in protection against harmful oxidants such as those found in cigarette smoke. This study aimed to test whether polymorphisms in GST genes influence the effect of MSP on offspring DNAm. Using data from the Isle of Wight birth cohort, we assessed the association of MSP and offspring DNAm in 493 mother-child dyads (251 male, 242 female) with the effect-modifying role of GST gene polymorphism (at rs506008, rs574344, rs12736389, rs3768490, rs1537234, and rs1695). MSP was assessed by levels of nicotine and its downstream metabolites (cotinine, norcotinine, and hydroxycotinine) in maternal sera. In males, associations of hydroxycotinine with DNAm at cg18473733, cg25949550, cg11647108, and cg01952185 and norcotinine with DNAm at cg09935388 were modified by GST gene polymorphisms (p-values < 0.05). In females, associations of hydroxycotinine with DNAm at cg12160087 and norcotinine with DNAm at cg18473733 were modified by GST gene polymorphisms (p-values < 0.05). Our study emphasizes the role of genetic polymorphism in GST genes in DNAm's susceptibility to MSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the poplar doubled haploid (DH) plants were used as the experimental material to explore the huge phenotypic differences between homozygous DH plants and the paternal plants, and the molecular regulation mechanism of the differential phenotypes. In this experiment, through morphological and histological observation and statistics, we found that the double haploid plants had significantly reduced plant height and ground diameter, increased leaf aspect ratio, premature senescence phenotype of top bud, and significant changes in the shape and cell area of the shoot apical meristem. Significantly differentially expressed genes were obtained using RNA-seq transcriptome sequencing. They were subjected to GO enrichment and KEGG analysis. Transcription factors with key functions were screened out for qRT-PCR to verify gene expression changes to predict gene function. The results showed that after the IAA and ABA treatment, the expression levels of some hormone-responsive genes in wild type plants were significantly changed with different treatment time. In the dihaploid plants, the corresponding genes also changed to different degrees, which reflected the changes in the response of the dihaploid plants to hormones. Compared to in WT, the differential expressed genes in the double haploids were involved in multiple physiological process such as response to oxidative stress, response to salicylic acid, plant pathogen interaction, and plant hormone signal transduction. A TF–centered gene regulatory network for phytohormone synthesis and plant senescence was constructed with the expression patterns of differentially expressed transcription factors (TFs). This study increases researchers' understanding of the regulation of poplar growth and development and provides new research ideas for the creation of new species of poplar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hutoubi Reservoir and its mainstream, Huyuan Stream, in the southern mountainous region of Taiwan, have experienced riverbed sedimentation and flood disasters for the past 150 years. In addition to climate change, it is necessary to scientifically consider its regulation for the next hundred years. This study adopted a collaborative approach, involving industry, government, and academia, using Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to enhance ecosystem services. The solution layout is constructed by widening the channel and constructing additional farm ponds and wetlands. An hydraulic simulation indicated that flood control was addressed. The restoration project would create diverse aquatic habitats by simulating and evaluating the distribution of ecological biotopes, using porous materials as revetments. It provided urban residents with forest leisure and recreational sites and supported the local agricultural and forestry products. The restoration has propagated local culture and created environmental and professional education. Therefore, ecological services are enhanced regarding regulation, support, provision, and culture. This pilot study, led by researchers, aimed to promote comprehensive management concepts considering all stakeholders and their active participation. We integrated NbS into the watershed and its river system as a pathway for facing the challenges of rapid urbanization and climate change and improving ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CBF (C-repeat binding factor) transcription factor subfamily belongs to AP2/ERF (Apetala 2/ethylene-responsive factor) transcription factor family, known for playing a vital role in plant abiotic stress response. Although some CBF transcription factors have been identified in several species, such as Arabidopsis, tobacco, tomato and poplar, research of CBF focus mainly on model plant Arabidopsis and have not been reported in Betula platyphylla yet. In this study, a total of 20 BpCBF subfamily members were identified. The conserved domains, physicochemical properties, exon-intron gene structure and the structure of conserved protein motifs of BpCBFs were analyzed via bioinformatic tools. The collinearity analysis of CBF genes was performed between Betula platyphylla and Arabidopsis thaliana, Betula platyphylla, and Populus trichocarpa. The cis-acting elements in the promoter region of BpCBFs were identified, which were mainly environmental stress-related and hormone-related element components. In this case, the expression patterns of the 20 BpCBFs upon ABA or salt treatment were investigated. Most of these transcription factors were responsive to ABA or salt stress in different plant tissues. The up-regulation trend upon cold treatment of the six cold-responsive genes validated by qRT-PCR was consistent with the result of RNA-seq. BpCBF7 showed transcription activating activity. This study sheds light on the responses of BpCBFs to abiotic stress and provides a reference for further study of CBF transcription factors in woody plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuous development of urbanization in China has brought new opportunities to rural settlements but has also led to spatial problems such as disorderly layout and unbalanced morphological structures, and the sustainable development of the countryside faces great challenges. As the core spatial carrier of rural settlements, scientific identification of their characteristics and delineation of their types is conducive to the subsequent spatial optimization of rural settlements to promote the coordinated and orderly development of rural areas. In recent years, several studies have explored the characteristics and classification of rural settlements based on single factor influences, but few studies have comprehensively considered them from a multidimensional perspective. To fill this gap, this paper takes the rural settlements in the Weibei Plain as the research object, uses the continuous spectral transect analysis method, combines the landscape security pattern analysis, establishes a multidimensional feature matrix model, quantitatively analyzes the spatial differentiation characteristics, and classifies the types. The key findings are as follows. (1) According to the analysis of landscape security patterns, it was divided into four types of rural settlements. The rural settlements with high and medium security patterns accounted for 86.79%, and the overall ecological adaptability was good. (2) In terms of spatial distribution, 80% of patches in the Weihe River transect are small and unevenly distributed under the influence of river runoff, gradually changing from dense to discrete; the fluctuation range of the 70% patch area is restricted by the terrain in the Hanyuan tableland transect is small and changes from discrete to dense. In terms of spatial morphology, 70% of the Weihe River transect was irregular and varied greatly. The morphology of the Hanyuan tableland transect tended to be similar, and the degree of fragmentation of the Hanyuan tableland transect was higher than that of the Weihe River transect. (3) The Weihe River transect was divided into six types of settlement space, the Hanyuan tableland transect was divided into seven types, and the characteristics of different settlement space types were quite different. The results can provide a scientific basis for the spatial planning, industrial guidance, and facility layout of rural settlements and have important significance for the rational formulation of spatial agglomeration guidance strategies and the promotion of sustainable rural development in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of metabolites, nutrients, and toxins (MNTs) in sera at the end of pregnancy and of their association with offspring respiratory and allergic disorders is underexplored. Untargeted approaches detecting a variety of compounds, known and unknown, are limited. In this cohort study, we first aimed at discovering associations of MNTs in grandmaternal (F0) serum with asthma, immunoglobulin E, skin prick tests, exhaled nitric oxide, and lung function parameters in their parental (F1) offspring. Second, for replication, we tested the identified associations of MNTs with disorders in their grandchildren (F2-offspring) based on F2 cord serum. The statistical analyses were sex-stratified. Using liquid chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry in F0, we detected signals for 2286 negative-ion lipids, 59 positive-ion lipids, and 6331 polar MNTs. Nine MNTs (one unknown MNT) discovered in F0-F1 and replicated in F2 showed higher risks of respiratory/allergic outcomes. Twelve MNTs (four unknowns) constituted a potential protection in F1 and F2. We recognized MNTs not yet considered candidates for respiratory/allergic outcomes: a phthalate plasticizer, an antihistamine, a bile acid metabolite, tryptophan metabolites, a hemiterpenoid glycoside, triacylglycerols, hypoxanthine, and polyphenol syringic acid. The findings suggest that MNTs are aspirants for clinical trials to prevent adverse respiratory/allergic outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increases in urbanization, agricultural production space is facing a series of problems, such as limited spatial development, loss of development entities, and difficulties in transformation, posing a huge challenge to national food security and sustainable rural development. The peasant household, as the main body in agricultural production space, plays a key role in solving human–land conflicts and achieving revitalization. In this article, we analyze the evolution characteristics of agricultural production space under the influence of peasant household behavior in the Yanhe River Basin from 1995 to 2018, and construct a spatial control system for agricultural production based on peasant household behavior guidance. Our conclusions are: (1) the agricultural production space in the Yanhe River Basin presents three major evolutionary characteristics, namely a reduction in spatial scale, a shift in the center of gravity of spatial distribution to the downstream, and a transformation of the spatial form from fragmented to regular; (2) the production input and production management behaviors of peasant households dominate the evolution of agricultural production space, while resource utilization behavior is an indirect influencing factor; moreover, peasant household behaviors are also influenced by conditions such as soil and location in agricultural production space; and (3) a control method system of "management and control basis + management and control implementation + management and control guarantee" has been formed through research, and targeted guidance has been given to peasant household behavior based on three levels of agricultural production zones and four types of rural areas. The research on zoning classification results can provide scientific guidance for the precise management of agricultural production space in the Yanhe River Basin, and the management and control method system can also provide a theoretical reference for the sustainable development path of agricultural production space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogels have received increasing interest owing to their excellent physicochemical properties and wide applications. In this paper, we report the rapid fabrication of new hydrogels possessing a super water swelling capacity and self-healing ability using a fast, energy-efficient, and convenient method of frontal polymerization (FP). Self-sustained copolymerization of acrylamide (AM), 3-[Dimethyl-[2-(2-methylprop-2-enoyloxy)ethyl]azaniumyl]propane-1-sulfonate (SBMA), and acrylic acid (AA) within 10 min via FP yielded highly transparent and stretchable poly(AM-co-SBMA-co-AA) hydrogels. Thermogravimetric analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the successful fabrication of poly(AM-co-SBMA-co-AA) hydrogels with a single copolymer composition without branched polymers. The effect of monomer ratio on FP features as well as porous morphology, swelling behavior, and self-healing performance of the hydrogels were systematically investigated, showing that the properties of the hydrogels could be tuned by adjusting the chemical composition. The resulting hydrogels were superabsorbent and sensitive to pH, exhibiting a high swelling ratio of up to 11,802% in water and 13,588% in an alkaline environment. The rheological data revealed a stable gel network. These hydrogels also had a favorable self-healing ability with a healing efficiency of up to 95%. This work contributes a simple and efficient method for the rapid preparation of superabsorbent and self-healing hydrogels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of alumina particle size and jet pressure on the bond strength of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) were examined to determine the airborne particle abrasion parameters with minimal effects on PEEK and to achieve optimal bond strength, as a reference for future clinical use. An alumina particle with four particle sizes and three jet pressures was used to air-abrade PEEK. Surface roughness (Ra), morphology, chemical structure, and wettability were analyzed using a stylus profilometer, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffractometer, and contact angle analyzer, respectively. The shear bond strength (SBS) of PEEK and dental resin cement was analyzed using a universal testing machine (n = 10). The failure modes and debonded fracture surfaces were observed using optical microscopy. Airborne particle abrasion increased the Ra and hydrophobicity of PEEK and deposited alumina residues. The SBS generally decreased after thermal cycling. A large particle size damaged the PEEK surface. The effects of different particle sizes and jet pressures on the SBS were only significant in certain groups. Adhesive failure was the main mode for all groups. Within the limitations of this study, 110 μm grain-sized alumina particles combined with a jet pressure of 2 bar prevented damage to PEEK, providing sufficient SBS and bonding durability between PEEK and dental resin cement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earth dams or embankments are susceptible to instability due to internal seepage, piping, and erosion, which can lead to catastrophic failure. Therefore, monitoring the seepage water level before the dam collapses is an important task for early warning of dam failure. Currently, there are hardly any monitoring methods that use wireless underground transmission to monitor the water content inside earth dams. Real-time monitoring of changes in the soil moisture content can more directly determine the water level of seepage. Wireless transmission of sensors buried underground requires signal transmission through the soil medium, which is more complex than traditional air transmission. Henceforth, this study establishes a wireless underground transmission sensor that overcomes the distance limitation of underground transmission through a hop network. A series of feasibility tests were conducted on the wireless underground transmission sensor, including peer-to-peer transmission tests, multi-hop underground transmission tests, power management tests, and soil moisture measurement tests. Finally, field seepage tests were conducted to apply wireless underground transmission sensors to monitor the internal seepage water level before an earth dam failure. The findings show that wireless underground transmission sensors can achieve the monitoring of seepage water levels inside earth dams. In addition, the results supersede those of a conventional water level gauge. This could be crucial in early warning systems during the era of climate change, which has caused unprecedented flooding events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three waves of hematopoiesis occur in the mouse embryo. The primitive hematopoiesis appears as blood islands in the extra embryonic yolk sac at E7.5. The extra embryonic pro-definitive hematopoiesis launches in late E8 and the embryonic definitive one turns on at E10.5 indicated by the emergence of hemogenic endothelial cells on the inner wall of the extra embryonic arteries and the embryonic aorta. To study the roles of SCL protein isoforms in murine hematopoiesis, the SCL-large (SCL-L) isoform was selectively destroyed with the remaining SCL-small (SCL-S) isoform intact. It was demonstrated that SCL-S was specifically expressed in the hemogenic endothelial cells (HECs) and SCL-L was only detected in the dispersed cells after budding from HECs. The SCLΔ/Δ homozygous mutant embryos only survived to E10.5 with normal extra embryonic vessels and red blood cells. In wild-type mouse embryos, a layer of neatly aligned CD34+ and CD43+ cells appeared on the endothelial wall of the aorta of the E10.5 fetus. However, the cells at the same site expressed CD31 rather than CD34 and/or CD43 in the E10.5 SCLΔ/Δ embryo, indicating that only the endothelial lineage was developed. These results reveal that the SCL-S is sufficient to sustain the primitive hematopoiesis and SCL-L is necessary to launch the definitive hematopoiesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the complexity of airborne remote sensing scenes, strong background and noise interference, positive and negative sample imbalance, and multiple ship scales, ship detection is a critical and challenging task in remote sensing. This work proposes an end-to-end anchor-free oriented ship detector (AF-OSD) framework based on a multi-scale dense-point rotation Gaussian heatmap (MDP-RGH) to tackle these aforementioned challenges. First, to solve the sample imbalance problem and suppress the interference of negative samples such as background and noise, the oriented ship is modeled via the proposed MDP-RGH according to its shape and direction to generate ship labels with more accurate information, while the imbalance between positive and negative samples is adaptively learned for the ships with different scales. Then, the AF-OSD based on MDP-RGH is further devised to detect the multi-scale oriented ship, which is the accurate identification and information extraction for multi-scale vessels. Finally, a multi-task object size adaptive loss function is designed to guide the training process, improving its detection quality and performance for multi-scale oriented ships. Simulation results show that extensive experiments on HRSC2016 and DOTA ship datasets reveal that the proposed method achieves significantly outperforms the compared state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and processing algorithm of oceanic LIDAR requires an effective lidar simulator. Currently, most simulation methods for lidar signal propagation in seawater use elastic scattering. In this study, a new semi-analytical Monte Carlo (MC) model for oceanic lidar inelastic signals is developed to investigate chlorophyll fluorescence and Raman scattering in seawater. We also used this model to simulate the echo signal of high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL) in the particulate and water molecular channels. Using this model, the effects of chlorophyll concentration, multiple scattering, receiving field of view (FOV), scattering phase function (SPF), receiver full width at half maximum (FWHM) and inhomogeneous seawater were investigated. The feasibility and effectiveness of the model were verified by the lidar equation under small and large FOVs. The results showed that chlorophyll concentration and vertical structure and multiple scattering have considerable and integrated effects on echo signals, which could provide a reference for the design of oceanic fluorescence and HSRL lidar systems and contribute to the development of processing algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing evidence suggests that aerobic glycolysis is related to the progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Hence, we focused on glycolysis-related gene sets to screen for potential therapeutic targets for OSCC. The expression profiles of OSCC samples and normal controls were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Then, the differentially expressed gene sets were selected from the official GSEA website following extraction of the differentially expressed core genes (DECGs). Subsequently, we tried to build a risk model on the basis of DECGs to predict the prognosis of OSCC patients via Cox regression analysis. Furthermore, crucial glycolysis-related genes were selected to explore their biological roles in OSCC. Two active glycolysis-related pathways were acquired and 66 DECGs were identified. Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that six genes, including HMMR, STC2, DDIT4, DEPDC1, SLC16A3, and AURKA, might be potential prognostic factors. Subsequently, a risk formula consisting of DEPDC1, DDIT4, and SLC16A3 was established on basis of the six molecules. Furthermore, DEPDC1 was proven to be related to advanced stage cancer and lymph node metastasis. Moreover, functional experiments suggested that DEPDC1 promoted the aerobic glycolysis, migration, and invasion of OSCC via the WNT/β-catenin pathway. The risk score according to glycolysis-related gene expression might be an independent prognostic factor in OSCC. In addition, DEPDC1 was identified as playing a carcinogenic role in OSCC progression, suggesting that DEPDC1 might be a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for OSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The next-generation FengYun-3H satellite carrying a greenhouse gas absorption spectrometer (GAS) is planned for launch by 2024 with a strengthened ability to help researchers understand the global carbon cycle. However, assessments of the atmospheric CO2-detection capabilities of GAS are still incomplete, mainly in the following aspects: previous studies on the spectral range of GAS instruments often used the weak absorption band of CO2 molecules (1.61 μm); research on the measurement accuracies of different atmospheric environments above oceans is lacking; and most studies considered land surfaces as the bottom boundaries. Here, we simulated high spectral CO2 absorption spectra in both the strong and weak bands (2.06 and 1.61 μm) while considering the effects of different instrumental (spectral resolution and sampling rate) and environmental (wind speed, visibility, and rough sea surface) parameters. This is the first atmospheric CO2 absorption spectrum study to consider rough-sea-surface effects. The preliminary results show that the root mean squared error (RMSE) and mean absolute difference (MAD) values of the atmospheric CO2 transmittance spectra of GAS are 0.031 and 0.011, respectively, in the 1.61 μm band and 0.05 and 0.033 in the 2.06 μm band, revealing that GAS is competitive among similar CO2 instruments. This study provides a design reference for next-generation GAS instruments and contributes to spectral data CO2 processing in the above-sea atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low temperature is an important environmental factor that affects the growth and development of trees and leads to the introduction of failure in the genetic improvement of trees. Acer pseudosieboldianum is a tree species that is well-known for its bright red autumn leaf color. These trees are widely used in landscaping in northeast China. However, due to their poor cold resistance, introduced A. pseudosieboldianum trees suffer severe freezing injury in many introduced environments. To elucidate the physiological indicators and molecular mechanisms associated with freezing damage, we analyzed the physiological indicators and transcriptome of A. pseudosieboldianum, using kits and RNA-Seq technology. The mechanism of A. pseudosieboldianum in response to freezing stress is an important scientific question. In this study, we used the shoots of four-year-old A. pseudosieboldianum twig seedlings, and the physiological index and the transcriptome of A. pseudosieboldianum under low temperature stress were investigated. The results showed that more than 20,000 genes were detected in A. pseudosieboldianum under low temperature (4 °C) and freezing temperatures (−10 °C, −20 °C, −30 °C, and −40 °C). There were 2505, 6021, 5125, and 3191 differential genes (DEGs) between −10 °C, −20°C, −30°C, −40 °C, and CK (4 °C), respectively. Among these differential genes, 48 genes are involved in the MAPK pathway and 533 genes are involved in the glucose metabolism pathway. In addition, the important transcription factors (MYB, AP2/ERF, and WRKY) involved in freezing stress were activated under different degrees of freezing stress. A total of 10 sets of physiological indicators of A. pseudosieboldianum were examined, including the activities of five enzymes and the accumulation of five hormones. All of the physiological indicators except SOD and GSH-Px reached their maximum values at −30 °C. The enzyme activity of SOD was highest at −10 °C, and that of GSH-Px was highest at −20 °C. Our study is the first to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the differential genes (DEGs) involved in A. pseudosieboldianum under freezing stress at different temperatures at the transcriptome level. These results may help to clarify the molecular mechanism of cold tolerance of A. pseudosieboldianum and provide new insights and candidate genes for the genetic improvement of the freezing tolerance of A. pseudosieboldianum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aesthetic design of mountain stream facilities has not received much attention in Taiwan. In recent years, in addition to safety concerns, the focus has increasingly been on landscape assessment or the sense of integration with the environment. This research is the first attempt to use visual language translation in qualitative research analysis for the landscape assessment of mountain stream facilities. This method is different from a traditional qualitative narrative analysis. It also addresses the shortcomings of previous quantitative analysis methods, in which the topic discussions are too limited. First, mountain stream engineering projects are selected as the research objects. This study uses questionnaire analysis and on-site surveys to summarize the elements, representations, and perceptions of the mountain stream facilities of the subjects concerned to examine their preferences for the visual system. Furthermore, we also employ the scenic beauty estimation (SBE) method for a comparison between the qualitative and quantitative analyses. This study proposes a new method using visual language translation and SBE that combines the features of qualitative research and quantitative analysis. However, the potential limitations include an inability to have a large sample number and the biases caused by the cultural, regional, or personal characteristics of the subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium-based implants are often utilized in oral implantology and craniofacial reconstructions. However, the biological inertness of machined titanium commonly results in unsatisfactory osseointegration. To improve the osseointegration properties, we modified the titanium implants with nanotubular/superhydrophilic surfaces through anodic oxidation and thermal hydrogenation and evaluated the effects of the machined surfaces (M), nanotubular surfaces (Nano), and hydrogenated nanotubes (H-Nano) on osteogenesis and osseointegration in vitro and in vivo. After incubation of mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on the samples, we observed improved cell adhesion, alkaline phosphatase activity, osteogenesis-related gene expression, and extracellular matrix mineralization in the H-Nano group compared to the other groups. Subsequent in vivo studies indicated that H-Nano implants promoted rapid new bone regeneration and osseointegration at 4 weeks, which may be attributed to the active osteoblasts adhering to the nanotubular/superhydrophilic surfaces. Additionally, the Nano group displayed enhanced osteogenesis in vitro and in vivo at later stages, especially at 8 weeks. Therefore, we report that hydrogenated superhydrophilic nanotubes can significantly accelerate osteogenesis and osseointegration at an early stage, revealing the considerable potential of this implant modification for clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world, affecting the pace of life and the economic behavioral patterns of people around the world, with an impact exceeding that of the 2008 financial crisis, causing a global stock market crash and even the first recorded negative oil prices. Under the impact of this pandemic, due to the global large-scale quarantine and lockdown measures, game stocks belonging to the stay-at-home economy have become the focus of investors from all over the world. Therefore, under such incentives, this study aims to construct a set of effective prediction models for the price of game stocks, which could help relevant stakeholders—especially investors—to make efficient predictions so as to achieve a profitable investment niche. Moreover, because stock prices have the characteristics of a time series, and based on the relevant discussion in the literature, we know that ARIMA (the autoregressive integrated moving average) prediction models have excellent prediction performance. In conclusion, this study aims to establish an advanced hybrid model based on ARIMA as an excellent prediction technology for the price of game stocks, and to construct four groups of different investment strategies to determine which technical models of investment strategies are suitable for different game stocks. There are six important directions, experimental results, and research findings in the construction of advanced models: (1) In terms of the experiment, the data are collected from the daily closing prices of game-related stocks on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, and the sample range is from 2014 to 2020. (2) In terms of the performance verification, the return on investment is used as the evaluation standard to verify the availability of the ARIMA prediction model. (3) In terms of the research results, the accuracy of the model in predicting the prices of listed stocks can reach the 95% confidence interval predicted by the model 14 days after the closing price, and the OTC stocks fall within the 95% confidence interval for 3 days. (4) In terms of the empirical study of the rate of return, the investors can obtain a better rate of return than the benchmark strategy by trading the game stocks based on the indices set by the ARIMA model in this study. (5) In terms of the research findings, this study further compares the rate of return of trading strategies with reference to the ARIMA index and the rate of return of trading strategies with reference to the monitoring indicator, finding no significant difference between the two. (6) Different game stocks apply for different technical models of investment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild bitter gourd extracts, such as saponins, polysaccharides, and peptides, could be used to adjust blood sugar. The objective of this research was to explore the use of high pressure processing (HPP) for sterilization and acceleration of enzyme hydrolysis in the ultrasonic preparation of peptide extracts from wild bitter gourd. The results showed that the wild bitter gourd powder could be extracted via ultrasonic processing with water at 70 °C for only 20 min with a solid to liquid ratio of 1:20 to obtain the total protein content of 1.514 mg/g. The two sterilization methods for wild bitter gourd extract treated with papaya enzyme—for 2 h in the traditional autoclave at 121 °C for 15 min, or under HPP 300 MPa for 5 min—showed no significant effect on protein content, and both sterilization methods were effective. However, the extract sterilized with HPP had a significantly higher ability to scavenge DPPH free radicals. In addition, HPP (300 MPa for 5 min), combined with papaya enzyme to hydrolyze the wild bitter gourd extract, simultaneously pasteurized the extract and acquired the peptides from the wild bitter gourd extract Therefore, the ultrasonic extraction of wild bitter gourd, combined with HPP and enzyme hydrolysis, could greatly shorten the operation time (to only 5 min) for extracting the active peptides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dots (CDs) have been extensively explored to show good optical features, low toxicity, and good biocompatibility. Herein, we report the new synthesis of forsythia-derived CDs (F-CDs) and their incorporation into Nylon-11 nanofibers for improved mechanical properties and biocompatibility. F-CDs are prepared from a Chinese herb forsythia via a magnetic hyperthermia method in 90 s without the use of any organic solvents. The as-prepared F-CDs with rich surface functional groups can be well embedded into Nylon-11 nanofibers via electrospinning, providing Nylon-11/F-CD nanofiber mats with remarkably enhanced mechanical properties. With the incorporation of F-CDs at 10 wt% into the Nylon-11 nanofiber mats, the tensile strength increases from 7.5 to 16.6 MPa, and the elongation ratio at break increases from 39% to 125%. Moreover, the Nylon-11/F-CD nanofiber mats exhibit excellent cytocompatibility towards L929 fibroblast cells with cell viability of 96%. These findings may guide the development of various CD-embedded nanofiber mats with good mechanical properties and biocompatibility potentially useful for biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering scaffolds or wound dressing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth of the aging population and the rate of disabled people with physical and mental disorders is increasing the demand for long-term care. The decline in family care could lead to social and economic collapse. In order to reduce the burden of long-term care, long-term care insurance has become one of the most competitive products in the life insurance industry. In the previous literature review, few scholars engaged in the research on this topic with data mining technology, which was motivated to trigger the formation of this study and hoped to increase the different aspects of academic research. The purpose of this study is to develop the long-term insurance business from the original list of insurance clients, to predict whether the sustainable financial management clients will buy the long-term care insurance policies, and to establish a feasible prediction model to assist life insurance companies. This study aims to establish the classified prediction models of Models I~X, to dismantle the data with the percentage split and 10-fold cross validation, plus the application of two kinds of technology as feature selection and data discretization, for the data mining of twenty-three kinds of algorithms in seven different categories (Bayes, Function, Lazy, Meta, Misc, Rule, and Decision Tree) through the data collected from the insurance company database, and to select 20 conditional attributes and 1 decisional attribute (whether to buy the long-term insurance policy or not). The decision attribute is binary classification method for empirical data analysis. The empirical results show that: (1) the marital status, total number of policies purchased, and total amount of policies (including long-term care insurance) are found to be the three important factors affecting the decision attribute; (2) the most stable models are the advanced hybrid Models V and X; and (3) the best classifier is Decision Tree J48 algorithm for the study data used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When peanuts germinate, bioactive compounds such as resveratrol (RES), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), isoflavones, and polyphenol compounds are generated. Peanut kernels were germinated in the dark for two days, and stimuli including soaking liquid, rice koji, high-pressure processing (HPP), and ultrasonic treatment were tested for their ability to activate the defense mechanisms of peanut kernels, thus increasing their bioactive compound content. The results of this study indicate that no RES was detected in ungerminated peanuts, and only 5.58 μg/g of GABA was present, while unstimulated germinated peanuts contained 4.03 µg/g of RES and 258.83 μg/g of GABA. The RES content of the germinated peanuts increased to 13.64 μg/g after soaking in 0.2% phenylalanine solution, whereas a higher GABA content of 651.51 μg/g was observed after the peanuts were soaked in 0.2% glutamate. Soaking peanuts in 5% rice koji produced the highest RES and GABA contents (28.83 µg/g and 506.34 μg/g, respectively). Meanwhile, the RES and GABA contents of HPP-treated germinated peanuts (i.e., treated with HPP at 100 MPa for 10 min) increased to 7.66 μg/g and 497.09 μg/g, respectively, whereas those of ultrasonic-treated germinated peanuts (for 20 min) increased to 13.02 μg/g and 318.71 μg/g, respectively. After soaking peanuts in 0.5% rice koji, followed by HPP treatment at 100 MPa for 10 min, the RES and GABA contents of the germinated peanuts increased to 37.78 μg/g and 1196.98 μg/g, while the RES and GABA contents of the germinated peanuts treated with rice koji followed by ultrasonic treatment for 20 min increased to 46.53 μg/g and 974.52 μg/g, respectively. The flavonoid and polyphenol contents of the germinated peanuts also increased after exposure to various external stimuli, improving their DPPH free radical-scavenging ability and showing the good potential of germinated peanuts as functional products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface topography, protein adsorption, and the loading of coating materials can affect soft tissue sealing. Graphene oxide (GO) is a promising candidate for improving material surface functionalization to facilitate soft tissue integration between cells and biomaterials. In this study, TiO2 nanotubes (TNTs) were prepared by the anodization of Ti, and TNT-graphene oxide composites (TNT-GO) were prepared by subsequent electroplating. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of TNTs and TNT-GO surface modifications on the behavior of human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs). Commercially pure Ti and TNTs were used as the control group, and the TNT-GO surface was used as the experimental group. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction were used to perform sample characterization. Cell adhesion, cell proliferation, cell immunofluorescence staining, a wound-healing assay, real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and Western blotting showed that the proliferation, adhesion, migration, and adhesion-related relative gene expression of HGFs on TNT-GO were significantly enhanced compared to the control groups, which may be mediated by the activation of integrin β1 and the MAPK-Erk1/2 pathway. Our findings suggest that the biological reactivity of HGFs can be enhanced by the TNT-GO surface, thereby improving the soft tissue sealing ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Injury to lower genitourinary (GU) tissues, which may result in either infertility and/or organ dysfunctions, threatens the overall health of humans. Bioactive agent-based regenerative therapy is a promising therapeutic method. However, strategies for spatiotemporal delivery of bioactive agents with optimal stability, activity, and tunable delivery for effective sustained disease management are still in need and present challenges. In this review, we present the advancements of the pivotal components in delivery systems, including biomedical innovations, system fabrication methods, and loading strategies, which may improve the performance of delivery systems for better regenerative effects. We also review the most recent developments in the application of these technologies, and the potential for delivery-based regenerative therapies to treat lower GU injuries. Recent progress suggests that the use of advanced strategies have not only made it possible to develop better and more diverse functionalities, but also more precise, and smarter bioactive agent delivery systems for regenerative therapy. Their application in lower GU injury treatment has achieved certain effects in both patients with lower genitourinary injuries and/or in model animals. The continuous evolution of biomaterials and therapeutic agents, advances in three-dimensional printing, as well as emerging techniques all show a promising future for the treatment of lower GU-related disorders and dysfunctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hot air roasting is a popular method for preparing almonds, but it takes a long time. We roasted almonds via dielectric heating using 5 kW, 40.68 MHz batch radio-frequency (RF) equipment and analyzed their quality and aroma using a gas chromatography/ion mobility spectrometer and sensory evaluation. Almonds with an initial moisture content of 8.47% (w.b.) were heated at an RF electrode gap of 10 cm; the target roasting temperature of 120 °C was achieved at weights of 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 kg for 4, 3.5, 7.5, and 11 min, respectively; and the moisture content was reduced to less than 2% (w.b.). For comparison, 1 kg of almonds was roasted in a 105 °C conventional oven for 120 min. The darker color and lower moisture content, water activity, and acid value of the RF-roasted almonds were favorable for preservation. The aroma analysis using gas chromatography/ion mobility spectroscopy (GC–IMS) revealed that the aroma signal after roasting was richer than that of raw almonds, and principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrated that the aromas of roasted and commercial almonds were similar. The RF-roasted almonds presented a better flavor, texture, and overall preferability compared to commercial almonds. RF heating could be used in the food industry to roast nuts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Certain tumor aggressiveness-associated mediators from cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in tumor microenvironment have been reported. Using gene expression analysis, we identified that CAFs overexpress Chemokine ligand 11 (CCL11), which is associated with tumor migration and invasion, increased expression of cancer stem cell properties, and induction of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Neutralization of CAF-induced CCL11 reversed the aggressive phenotype of cancer cells. Based on the immunohistochemical staining of clinical samples, we found that increased co-expression of CCL11 and its receptor, C-C Motif Chemokine Receptor 3 (CCR3), was associated with poor overall survival. Our results suggest that targeting CCL11-CCR3 signaling is a potential therapeutic strategy for patients with aggressive head and neck cancer. The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a crucial role in tumor progression. One of its key stromal components, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), may crosstalk with cancer cells by secreting certain cytokines or chemokines. However, which important mediator(s) are released by CAFs, and the underlying molecular mechanism, remain largely unknown. In the present study, we isolated patient-derived CAFs and normal fibroblasts (NFs). Using microarray analysis, we detected chemokine ligand 11 (CCL11) overexpression in CAFs compared to NFs. CCL11 administration promoted the migration and invasion of head and neck cancer (HNC) cells with enhanced cancer stem cell-like properties and induction of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Furthermore, neutralization of CCL11 activity reversed the aggressive phenotype of CAF-induced cancer cells. Confocal microscopy showed colocalization of CCL11 and CC chemokine receptor 3 (CCR3) on HNC cells. Moreover, immunohistochemical analysis of clinical samples from 104 patients with HNC showed that expression of CCL11 and CCR3 were significantly correlated with poor overall survival (p = 0.003 and 0.044, respectively). Collectively, CCL11 expressed on CAFs promotes HNC invasiveness, and neutralization of CCL11 reverses this effect. We propose that the CCL11/CCR3 signaling circuit is a potential target for optimizing therapeutic strategies against HNC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing aesthetic awareness and emphasis on time costs in today's society, monolithic multilayer precolored zirconia ceramics (M-Zr) facilitate aesthetic restorations in a convenient and straightforward manner without the need for veneering porcelain to modify the color. However, the effect of abutment materials on the final color of M-Zr remains unclear. Herein, we placed Vita A1 Shade M-Zr on six different abutment materials, zirconia (Y-TZP), 3D printed composite resin (CR), dental model resin (MR), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyetherketoneketone (PEKK), and cobalt–chromium alloy (Co–Cr), to evaluate their effect on the color accuracy of M-Zr. The color attributes (L*, a*, and b*) were measured using a dental spectrophotometer. The translucency parameter (TP), contrast ratio, color difference (ΔE) between each background substrate and the Vita A1 Shade Guide, and chroma values (C) were calculated to evaluate the color accuracy of M-Zr. A statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance and post hoc Tukey's HSD tests (α = 0.05). The experimental results indicate that the TP values and contrast ratio of the M-Zr samples were 14.85 and 0.83, respectively. Co–Cr had the highest ΔE (6.08) and lowest C value (7.52); PEKK had the lowest ΔE (2.60), and PEEK had the highest C value (12.23) (p < 0.05). Notably, the ΔE values of CR (3.13), PEEK (2.86), and PEKK were within clinical indicators (ΔE < 3.7). Based on these results, it can be concluded that the abutment material has a significant effect on the final color of the M-Zr, and PEEK or PEKK resulted in good color accuracy. When choosing the dental MR, traditional zirconia, or metals as abutment materials, colored or opaque cement might be required to eliminate color distortion and achieve desirable optical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]