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Background and Objectives: the total neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (TNT) includes different strategies, but the most appropriate model remains uncertain. The purpose of this retrospectively study was to evaluate the safety and pathological response in the consolidation chemotherapy model. Methods: patients with cT3/T4 or TxN + M0 rectal cancer that were receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) (50 Gy with oral capecitabine)/TNT (CRT followed by three cycles of CAPOX) during September 2017 to September 2019 in our department were included. All of the patients were recommended to receive radical surgery. Results: a total of 197 patients were included. Eighty-one patients received CRT, while one hundred and sixteen patients received TNT. Nine patients did not undergo surgery because of the distant metastases (one patient (1.2%) in CRT group, two patients (1.7%) in TNT group) or a refusal of resection (two patients in CRT group, four patients in TNT group). The pathological complete response (pCR) rate was 32.7% in TNT compared with 12.8% in CRT (p = 0.002). There was no statistically significant difference in grade 3 acute toxicities of neoadjuvant treatment and surgical complications between the two groups. Conclusions: the consolidation chemotherapy model is safe for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer and it has a high pCR rate. The long-term follow-up is necessary to be evaluated in a future prospective, randomized trial.

Microplastics (MPs) (including nanoplastics (NPs)) are pieces of plastic smaller than 5 mm in size. They are produced by the crushing and decomposition of large waste plastics and widely distributed in all kinds of ecological environments and even in organisms, so they have been paid much attention by the public and scientific community. Previously, several studies have reviewed the sources, occurrence, distribution, and toxicity of MPs in water and soil. By comparison, the review of atmospheric MPs is inadequate. In particular, there are still significant gaps in the quantitative analysis of MPs and the mechanisms associated with the toxic effects of inhaled MPs. Thus, this review summarizes and analyzes the distribution, source, and fate of atmospheric MPs and related influencing factors. The potential toxic effects of atmospheric MPs on animals and humans are also reviewed in depth. In addition, the common sampling and analysis methods used in existing studies are introduced. The aim of this paper is to put forward some feasible suggestions on the research direction of atmospheric MPs in the future.

As a pathological biomarker of Parkinson’s disease, α-synuclein is thought to be a prion-like protein, but evidence for the transmission of α-synuclein from blood to the brain is unclear. The goals of this study were to determine whether blood-derived α-synuclein could enter the brains of mice and whether α-synuclein in the brain could be cleared by parabiosis. Heterochronic parabiosis was performed on SNCAA53T transgenic mice (A53T mice) and wildtype mice. The levels of human α-synuclein in the blood and substantia nigra of wildtype mice were significantly increased after 4-month parabiosis with A53T mice. Moreover, the expression of α-synuclein filament, but not of total α-synuclein, was significantly increased in the substantia nigra of wildtype mice that were paired with A53T mice. However, the levels of human α-synuclein displayed no significant change in the serum, blood, or substantia nigra of A53T mice. These results provide direct evidence that pathological α-synuclein can be transmitted from blood to the brain in the heterochronic parabiosis system, however, it appears to be difficult to clear it from the brain in a short period of time.

The rational design of direct Z-scheme heterostructural photocatalysts using solar energy is promising for energy conversion and environmental remediation, which depends on the precise regulation of redox active sites, rapid spatial separation and transport of photoexcited charge and a broad visible light response. The Bi2WO6 materials have been paid more and more attention because of their unique photochemical properties. In this study, S2− doped Bi2WO6-x coupled with twin crystal ZnIn2S4 nanosheets (Sov−BWO/T−ZIS) were prepared as an efficient photocatalyst by a simple hydrothermal method for the removal of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH). Multiple methods (XRD, TEM, XPS, EPR, UV vis DRS, PL etc.) were employed to systematically investigate the morphology, structure, composition and photochemical properties of the as-prepared samples. The XRD spectrum indicated that the S2− ions were successfully doped into the Sov−BWO component. XPS spectra and photoelectrochemical analysis proved that S2− served as electronic bridge and promoted captured electrons of surface oxygen vacancies transfer to the valence band of T−ZIS. Through both experimental and in situ electron paramagnetic resonance (in situ EPR) characterizations, a defined direct Z-scheme heterojunction in S-BWO/T−ZIS was confirmed. The improved photocatalytic capability of S-BWO/T−ZIS results ascribed that broadened wavelength range of light absorption, rapid separation and interfacial transport of photoexcited charge, precisely regulated redox centers by optimizing the interfacial transport mode. Particularly, the Sov−50BWO/T−ZIS Z-scheme heterojunction exhibited the highest photodegradation rate was 95% under visible light irradiation. Moreover, this heterojunction exhibited a robust adsorption and degradation capacity, providing a promising photocatalyst for an organic pollutant synergistic removal strategy.

The integration of generative design (GD) and building information modelling (BIM), as a new technology consolidation, can facilitate the constructability of GD’s automatic design solutions, while improving BIM’s capability in the early design phase. Thus, there has been an increasing interest to study GD-BIM, with current focuses mainly on exploring applications and investigating tools. However, there are a lack of studies regarding methodological relationships and skill requirement based on different development objectives or GD properties; thus, the threshold of developing GD-BIM still seems high. This study conducts a critical review of current approaches for developing GD in BIM, and analyses methodological relationships, skill requirements, and improvement of GD-BIM development. Accordingly, novel perspectives of objective-oriented, GD component-based, and skill-driven GD-BIM development as well as reference guides are proposed. Finally, future research directions, challenges, and potential solutions are discussed. This research aims to guide designers in the building industry to properly determine approaches for developing GD-BIM and inspire researchers’ future studies.

Simple Summary Vibrio qinghaiensis sp.-Q67 (Q67) is a nonpathogenic freshwater luminescent bacterium and has been a focus due to its wide use in the monitoring of environmental pollution and the assessment of toxicity, using the luminescence inhibition rate as the end point. However, the lack of available crystal structures limits the elucidation of the structures of the functional proteins of the quorum-sensing (QS) system that regulates bacterial luminescence in Q67. In this study, homologous models of 19 proteins potentially involved in QS and bioluminescence in Q67 were built using MODELLER. Then, we analyzed the predicted structures and functions of these proteins one by one by combining the existing proteins to explore how the QS pathway of Q67 regulated bioluminescence at the molecular level. This study not only provides a database of predicted protein molecular structures for exploring the mechanisms of the toxicity of chemicals from a molecular point of view, but also indirectly summarizes the research status of crystal structure and function analysis in QS systems, providing references and guidance for follow-up research. Abstract Bioluminescent bacteria are mainly found in marine habitats. Vibrio qinghaiensis sp.-Q67 (Q67), a nonpathogenic freshwater bacterium, has been a focus due to its wide use in the monitoring of environmental pollution and the assessment of toxicity. However, the lack of available crystal structures limits the elucidation of the structures of the functional proteins of the quorum-sensing (QS) system that regulates bacterial luminescence in Q67. In this study, 19 functional proteins were built through monomer and oligomer modeling based on their coding proteins in the QS system of Q67 using MODELLER. Except for the failure to construct LuxM due to the lack of a suitable template, 18 functional proteins were successfully constructed. Furthermore, the relationships between the function and predicted structures of 19 functional proteins were explored one by one according to the three functional classifications: autoinducer synthases and receptors, signal transmission proteins (phosphotransferases, an RNA chaperone, and a transcriptional regulator), and enzymes involved in bacterial bioluminescence reactions. This is the first analysis of the whole process of bioluminescence regulation from the perspective of nonpathogenic freshwater bacteria at the molecular level. It provides a theoretical basis for the explanation of applications of Q67 in which luminescent inhibition is used as the endpoint.

The neurohormone octopamine regulates many crucial physiological processes in insects and exerts its activity via typical G-protein coupled receptors. The roles of octopamine receptors in regulating behavior and physiology in Coleoptera (beetles) need better understanding. We used the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, as a model species to study the contribution of the octopamine receptor to behavior and physiology. We cloned the cDNA of a β-adrenergic-like octopamine receptor (TcOctβ2R). This was heterologously expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells and was demonstrated to be functional using an in vitro cyclic AMP assay. In an RNAi assay, injection of dsRNA demonstrated that TcOctβ2R modulates beetle locomotion, mating duration, and fertility. These data present some roles of the octopaminergic signaling system in T. castaneum. Our findings will also help to elucidate the potential functions of individual octopamine receptors in other insects.

Simple Summary B-cell lymphoma-2 family proteins have been widely accepted as the critical regulators in cell apoptosis, often found to be abnormally expressed in many cancers. Among them, B-cell leukemia/lymphoma w and myeloid cell leukemia-1 are two pro-survival proteins. Here, we reported that the ankyrin repeat and SOCS box protein 17 can degrade the two proteins in a ubiquitylation -dependent way. Furthermore, we generated the first ASB17 knockout C57BL/6J mice line. The results revealed that ASB17 deficiency inhibited apoptosis but did not affect testes development. Moreover, the ASB17-deficient mice were more resistant to the stimuli of etoposide, Altogether, these findings indicate that ASB17 is a novel positive mediator of cell apoptosis. Abstract Apoptosis is a very important process of cell death controlled by multiple genes during which cells undergo certain events before dying. Apoptosis helps to clean the unnecessary cells and has critical physiological significance. Altered apoptosis results in a disorder of cell death and is associated with many diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases and cancers. Here, we reported that the ankyrin repeat and SOCS box protein 17 (ASB17) was mainly expressed in the testis and promoted apoptosis both in vivo and in vitro. Analyzing ASB17-deficient mice generated by using the CRISPR/Cas9 system, we demonstrated that ASB17 deficiency resulted in the reduction of apoptosis in spermatogenic cells, but it did not affect the development of spermatozoa or normal fertility. Next, in an in vivo model, ASB17 deficiency prevented the apoptosis of spermatogonia induced by etoposide in male mice. We noted that ASB17 promoted apoptosis in a caspase-dependent manner in vitro. Moreover, ASB17 interacted with the members of the BCL2 family, including BCL2, BCLX, BCLW, and MCL1. Interestingly, ASB17 specifically degraded the two anti-apoptotic factors, BCLW and MCL1, in a ubiquitylation-dependent fashion. Collectively, our findings suggested that ASB17 acted as a distinct positive regulator of cell apoptosis.

Simple Summary The melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae, is an important agricultural pest. At present, chemical pesticide treatment is the main method for field control, but this promotes pesticide resistance by Z. cucurbitae, because of its frequent use. ABC transporters are involved in detoxification metabolism, but few studies have yet considered their expression in melon fly. In this study, we identified the ABC transporters genes at a genome-wide level in melon fly, and analysed their spatiotemporal expression patterns, as well as changes in expression after insecticides treatments. A total of 49 ABC transporters were identified, and their expression levels varied at different developmental stages and between tissues. After three insecticides treatment, ZcABCB7 and ZcABCC2 were up-regulated. After β-cypermethrin induction, tissues were dissected at 12, 24 and 48 h, and the expression levels of a number of ABC genes were highly expressed within the fat body. From these results, we conclude that ZcABCB7 and ZcABCC2 may be involved in detoxification metabolism, and that the fat body is the main tissue that plays this role. Abstract The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter is a protein superfamily that transports specific substrate molecules across lipid membranes in all living species. In insects, ABC transporter is one of the major transmembrane protein families involved in the development of xenobiotic resistance. Here, we report 49 ABC transporter genes divided into eight subfamilies (ABCA-ABCH), including seven ABCAs, seven ABCBs, 10 ABCCs, two ABCDs, one ABCE, three ABCFs, 16 ABCGs, and three ABCHs according to phylogenetic analysis in Zeugodacus cucurbitae, a highly destructive insect pest of cucurbitaceous and other related crops. The expressions level of 49 ABC transporters throughout various developmental stages and within different tissues were evaluated by quantitative transcriptomic analysis, and their expressions in response to three different insecticides were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). These ABC transporter genes were widely expressed at developmental stages but most highly expressed in tissues of the midgut, fat body and Malpighian tube. When challenged by exposure to three insecticides, abamectin, β-cypermethrin, and dinotefuran, the expressions of ZcABCB7 and ZcABCC2 were significantly up-regulated. ZcABCB1, ZcABCB6, ZcABCB7, ZcABCC2, ZcABCC3, ZcABCC4, ZcABCC5, and ZcABCC7 were significantly up-regulated in the fat body at 24 h after β-cypermethrin exposure. These data suggest that ZcABCB7 and ZcABCC2 might play key roles in xenobiotic metabolism in Z. cucurbitae. Collectively, these data provide a foundation for further analysis of ABCs in Z. cucurbitae.

Simple Summary There is a tremendous amount of gene expression information available for prostate cancer, but very few tools exist to combine the disparate datasets generated across sample types and technical platforms. We present a method of integrating different types of expression data from different study cohorts to increase analytic power, and improve our understanding of the molecular changes underlying the development and progression of prostate cancer from normal to advanced disease. Using this approach, we identified nine additional disease stage-specific candidate genes with prognostic significance, which were not identified in any one study alone. We have developed a free online tool summarizing our results, and making the complete combined dataset available for further translational research. Abstract Next-generation sequencing of primary tumors is now standard for transcriptomic studies, but microarray-based data still constitute the majority of available information on other clinically valuable samples, including archive material. Using prostate cancer (PC) as a model, we developed a robust analytical framework to integrate data across different technical platforms and disease subtypes to connect distinct disease stages and reveal potentially relevant genes not identifiable from single studies alone. We reconstructed the molecular profile of PC to yield the first comprehensive insight into its development, by tracking changes in mRNA levels from normal prostate to high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, and metastatic disease. A total of nine previously unreported stage-specific candidate genes with prognostic significance were also found. Here, we integrate gene expression data from disparate sample types, disease stages and technical platforms into one coherent whole, to give a global view of the expression changes associated with the development and progression of PC from normal tissue through to metastatic disease. Summary and individual data are available online at the Prostate Integrative Expression Database (PIXdb), a user-friendly interface designed for clinicians and laboratory researchers to facilitate translational research.

Intercropping is one of the most widely used agroforestry techniques, reducing the harmful impacts of external inputs such as fertilizers. It also controls soil erosion, increases soil nutrients availability, and reduces weed growth. In this study, the intercropping of peanut (Arachishypogaea L.) was done with tea plants (Camellia oleifera), and it was compared with the mono-cropping of tea and peanut. Soil health and fertility were examined by analyzing the variability in soil enzymatic activity and soil nutrients availability at different soil depths (0–10 cm, 10–20 cm, 20–30 cm, and 30–40 cm). Results showed that the peanut–tea intercropping considerably impacted the soil organic carbon (SOC), soil nutrient availability, and soil enzymatic responses at different soil depths. The activity of protease, sucrase, and acid phosphatase was higher in intercropping, while the activity of urease and catalase was higher in peanut monoculture. In intercropping, total phosphorus (TP) was 14.2%, 34.2%, 77.7%, 61.9%, total potassium (TK) was 13.4%, 20%, 27.4%, 20%, available phosphorus (AP) was 52.9%, 26.56%, 61.1%, 146.15% and available potassium (AK) was 11.1%, 43.06%, 46.79% higher than the mono-cropping of tea in respective soil layers. Additionally, available nitrogen (AN) was 51.78%, 5.92%, and 15.32% lower in the 10–20 cm, 20–30 cm, and 30–40 cm layers of the intercropping system than in the mono-cropping system of peanut. Moreover, the soil enzymatic activity was significantly correlated with SOC and total nitrogen (TN) content across all soil depths and cropping systems. The depth and path analysis effect revealed that SOC directly affected sucrase, protease, urease, and catalase enzymes in an intercropping system. It was concluded that an increase in the soil enzymatic activity in the intercropping pattern improved the reaction rate at which organic matter decomposed and released nutrients into the soil environment. Enzyme activity in the decomposition process plays a vital role in forest soil morphology and function. For efficient land use in the cropping system, it is necessary to develop coherent agroforestry practices. The results in this study revealed that intercropping certainly enhance soil nutrients status and positively impacts soil conservation.

A periodic-layered structure was observed in solid-(Cr, Fe)2B/liquid-Al diffusion couple at 750 &deg, C. The interface morphology, the reaction products, and the potential formation mechanism of this periodic-layered structure were investigated using an electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results indicate that the reaction between (Cr, Fe)2B and liquid Al is a diffusion-controlled process. The formation of intermetallics involves both the superficial dissolution of Fe and Cr atoms and the inward diffusion of Al at the interface. The layered structure, as characterized by various experimental techniques, is alternated by a single FeAl3 layer and a (FeAl3 + Cr3AlB4) dual-phase layer. A potential mechanism describing the formation process of this periodic-layered structure was proposed based on the diffusion kinetics based on the experimental results.

The influence of blanking speed on the blanked surface quality of C5191 bronze phosphorus sheets, with a thickness of 0.12 mm, was systematically studied to demonstrate the mechanism under high speed blanking. The morphology and microstructure of the blanked edge were observed by using a variety of techniques, including optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results revealed that the local temperature and microhardness of the shear zone increased with the increase in blanking speed. Moreover, the quality of blanked edge significantly improved with the increase in blanking speed due to the combined influence of strain rate hardening and thermal softening. In addition, the blanked edge grains were elongated along the blanking direction and formed dislocation cells and sub-grains in some areas. The blanked edge is dominated by {000} &lt, 100&gt, cubic texture at higher blanking speeds, and {112} &lt, 111&gt, texture at lower blanking speeds. When punched at an ultra-high speed of 3000 strokes per minute (SPM 3000), the local area of the blanked edge exhibited distinct microstructural features, including low dislocation density, nanocrystals with high-angle grain boundaries, and significant differences in grain orientation. Additionally, the selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern exhibited a discontinuous ring-like structure, indicating the occurrence of adiabatic shearing with dynamic recrystallization.

Neural speech decoding-driven brain-computer interface (BCI) or speech-BCI is a novel paradigm for exploring communication restoration for locked-in (fully paralyzed but aware) patients. Speech-BCIs aim to map a direct transformation from neural signals to text or speech, which has the potential for a higher communication rate than the current BCIs. Although recent progress has demonstrated the potential of speech-BCIs from either invasive or non-invasive neural signals, the majority of the systems developed so far still assume knowing the onset and offset of the speech utterances within the continuous neural recordings. This lack of real-time voice/speech activity detection (VAD) is a current obstacle for future applications of neural speech decoding wherein BCI users can have a continuous conversation with other speakers. To address this issue, in this study, we attempted to automatically detect the voice/speech activity directly from the neural signals recorded using magnetoencephalography (MEG). First, we classified the whole segments of pre-speech, speech, and post-speech in the neural signals using a support vector machine (SVM). Second, for continuous prediction, we used a long short-term memory-recurrent neural network (LSTM-RNN) to efficiently decode the voice activity at each time point via its sequential pattern-learning mechanism. Experimental results demonstrated the possibility of real-time VAD directly from the non-invasive neural signals with about 88% accuracy.

As an important advanced machining process, in Wire Electrical Discharge Machining (WEDM) certain fundamental issues remain need to be studied in-depth, such as the effect of part surface roughness on heat transfer mechanisms. In the WEDM process, roughing cut wire goes into the workpiece to do the first shaping and in trim cut the wire sweeps on the outer surface to improve the surface roughness. In both of these two cases, the generation of sparks depends on the passing surface roughness. Therefore, with AISI D2 material and brass wire, this paper presents a study of the influence of part surface roughness on heat partition and the radius of the plasma channel in the WEDM process. Through extensive single discharge experiments, it is shown that the removal capacity per discharge can increase if the discharge occurs on a smoother surface. A Finite Element thermal model was then used for inverse fitting of the values of heat partition and radius of the plasma channel. These parameters completely define the characteristics of the heat conduction problem. The results indicate a strong correlation between an increase in heat partition ratio and a decrease in part surface roughness. The values of plasma channel radius show an increase in this value when discharging on rougher surfaces. It means that with the increasing of plasma channel radius, the heat source goes into the workpiece more dispersed. In the case of rougher surface, although the there is more area that affected by the heat source, finally the temperature of most area cannot reach to the melting point and it causes the smaller crater radius and volume, while the metal removal rate decreases. These results contribute towards a more complete understanding of the influence of surface roughness to the spark occurring. This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) operation program for funding the project “Scientific models and machine-tool advanced sensing techniques for efficient machining of precision components of Low-Pressure Turbines” (DPI2017-82239-P).

The effects of the &gamma, &Prime, Ni3Nb phase on the mechanical properties of Inconel 718 superalloys, with standard heat treatment, hot isostatic pressing + solution treatment + aging, and hot isostatic pressing + direct aging, were characterized by morphological observation, X-ray diffraction, and tensile experiments. The results of the morphological observation revealed that many fine &gamma, precipitates of ~26.49 &plusmn, 1.82 nm in mean size were formed in all samples. However, the relatively coarser &gamma, precipitates formed in the grain boundaries were only observed in the sample treated with hot isostatic pressing + direct aging. The yield strengths of the hot isostatic pressing + direct aging sample at room temperature and at 650 &deg, C both exhibited the maximum values about 993 &plusmn, 5.7 and 811 &plusmn, 12.6 MPa, respectively. The &gamma, precipitate was considered to be the dominant strengthening phase in the sample according to the lattice misfits (&epsilon, ) of &gamma, /&gamma, The strengthening mechanism of the samples can be explained as the coherency strain strengthening of fine &gamma, precipitates. Moreover, due to the coarser &gamma, precipitates in the grain boundaries, dislocation-cut ordered particle strengthening also occurred in the sample after hot isostatic pressing + direct aging treatment.

This study was designed to establish a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method to rapidly and reliably analyze the hypoglycemic polypeptide-P gene expression pattern in Momordica charantia (MC) and to examine its expression changes in different MC accessions, harvesting seasons, and tissue types. The qPCR results were further verified by using Western blotting (WB). A total of 10 MCs with different accessions were collected and tested in this study. Among the tested accessions, RU5H showed the highest expression level of the polypeptide-P gene. The expression level of the polypeptide-P gene was not only season-related (with the highest in early July) but also tissue-related (with the highest in the seed tissue). In addition, the expression characteristic of the polypeptide-P gene was maturity-related, with the highest expression level in the tender MC. The WB results show that the transcription level of this gene shows an almost similar trend to the corresponding protein expression level. In conclusion, the established qPCR method can rapidly and effectively detect the expression levels of the polypeptide-P gene in MCs with different accessions, furthermore, various factors, including the accessions, harvesting seasons, and tissue types can affect the expression level.

Artaxa digramma is a lepidopteran pest distributed throughout southern China, Myanmar, Indonesia, and India. Artaxa digramma nucleopolyhedrovirus (ArdiNPV) is a specific viral pathogen of A. digramma and deemed as a promising biocontrol agent against the pest. In this study, the complete genome sequence of ArdiNPV was determined by deep sequencing. The genome of ArdiNPV contains a double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) of 161,734 bp in length and 39.1% G+C content. Further, 149 hypothetical open reading frames (ORFs) were predicted to encode proteins &gt, 50 amino acids in length, covering 83% of the whole genome. Among these ORFs, 38 were baculovirus core genes, 22 were lepidopteran baculovirus conserved genes, and seven were unique to ArdiNPV, respectively. No typical baculoviral homologous regions (hrs) were identified in the genome. ArdiNPV had five multi-copy genes including baculovirus repeated ORFs (bros), calcium/sodium antiporter B (chaB), DNA binding protein (dbp), inhibitor of apoptosis protein (iap), and p26. Interestingly, phylogenetic analyses showed that ArdiNPV belonged to Clade II.b of Group II Alphabaculoviruses, which all contain a second copy of dbp. The genome of ArdiNPV was the closest to Euproctis pseudoconspersa nucleopolyhedrovirus, with 57.4% whole-genome similarity. Therefore, these results suggest that ArdiNPV is a novel baculovirus belonging to a newly identified cluster of Clade II.b Alphabaculoviruses.

A new concept named volatility monotonous persistence duration (VMPD) dynamics is introduced into the research of energy markets, in an attempt to describe nonlinear fluctuation behaviors from a new perspective. The VMPD sequence unites the maximum fluctuation difference and the continuous variation length, which is regarded as a novel indicator to evaluate risks and optimize portfolios. Further, two main aspects of statistical and nonlinear empirical research on the energy VMPD sequence are observed: probability distribution and autocorrelation behavior. Moreover, a new nonlinear method named the cross complexity-invariant distance (CID) FuzzyEn (CCF) which is composed of cross-fuzzy entropy and complexity-invariant distance is firstly proposed to study the complexity synchronization properties of returns and VMPD series for seven representative energy items. We also apply the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) to resolve returns and VMPD sequence into the intrinsic mode functions, and the degree that they follow the synchronization features of the initial sequence is investigated.

We present a p-n-p monolayer graphene photodetector doped with titanium dioxide nanotubes for detecting light from visible to near-infrared (405 to 1310 nm) region. The built-in electric field separates the photo-induced electrons and holes to generate photocurrent without bias voltage, which allows the device to have meager power consumption. Moreover, the detector is very sensitive to the illumination area, and we analyze the reason using the energy band theory. The response time of the detector is about 30 ms. The horizontal p-n-p device is a suitable candidate in zero-bias optoelectronic applications.

CoCrFeNiPdMnx (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8) high entropy alloys (HEAs) were prepared and characterized. With an increase in Mn addition, the microstructures changed from dendrites (CoCrFeNiPd with a single face-centered-cubic (FCC) phase) to divorced eutectics (CoCrFeNiPdMn0.2 and CoCrFeNiPdMn0.4), to hypoeutectic microstructures (CoCrFeNiPdMn0.6), and finally to seaweed eutectic dendrites (CoCrFeNiPdMn0.8). The addition of Mn might change the interface energy anisotropy of both the FCC/liquid and MnPd-rich intermetallic compound/liquid interfaces, thus forming the seaweed eutectic dendrites. The hardness of the FCC phase was found to be highly related to the solute strengthening effect, the formation of nanotwins and the transition from CoCrFeNiPd-rich to CoCrFeNi-rich FCC phase. Hierarchical nanotwins were found in the MnPd-rich intermetallic compound and a decrease in either the spacing of primary twins or secondary twins led to an increase in hardness. The designing rules of EHEAs were discussed and the pseudo binary method was revised accordingly.

This paper presents a novel multi-objective optimization based sensor selection method for multi-target tracking in sensor networks. The multi-target states are modelled as multi-Bernoulli random finite sets and the multi-Bernoulli filter is used to propagate the multi-target posterior density. The proposed method is designed to select the sensor that provides the most reliable cardinality estimate, since more accurate cardinality estimate indicates more accurate target states. In the multi-Bernoulli filter, the updated multi-target density is a multi-Bernoulli random finite set formed by a union of legacy tracks and measurement-updated tracks. The legacy track and the measurement-updated track have different theoretical and physical meanings, and hence these two kinds of tracks are considered separately in the sensor management problem. Specifically, two objectives are considered: (1) maximizing the mean cardinality of the measurement-updated tracks, (2) minimizing the cardinality variance of the legacy tracks. Considering the conflicting objectives simultaneously is a multi-objective optimization problem. Tradeoff solutions between two conflicting objectives will be derived. Theoretical analysis and examples show that the proposed approach is effective and direct. The performance of the proposed method is demonstrated using two scenarios with different levels of observability of targets in the passive sensor network.

Using listed enterprises in China&rsquo, s heavy pollution industry from 2009 to 2013, this study tests the relationship between marketization degree, carbon information disclosure, and the cost of equity financing. The results show that, regardless of marketization degree, the overall level of carbon information disclosure of listed enterprises in China&rsquo, s heavy pollution industry is low. The content of carbon information disclosure is mainly non-financial carbon information, and the financial carbon information disclosure is very low. The cost of equity financing is different in areas with different marketization degrees, specifically speaking, the cost of equity financing is lower in regions with a high marketization degree than that of a low marketization degree. Carbon information disclosure, non-financial carbon information disclosure, and financial carbon information disclosure are negatively correlated with the cost of equity financing. The marketization degree has strengthened the negative correlation between carbon information disclosure, non-financial carbon information disclosure, financial carbon information disclosure, and the cost of equity financing, respectively.

Rice foot rot disease caused by the pathogen Dickeya zeae (formerly known as Erwinia chrysanthemi pv. zeae), is a newly emerging damaging bacterial disease in China and the southeast of Asia, resulting in the loss of yield and grain quality. However, the genetic resistance mechanisms mediated by miRNAs to D. zeae are unclear in rice. In the present study, 652 miRNAs including osa-miR396f predicted to be involved in multiple defense responses to D. zeae were identified with RNA sequencing. A total of 79 differentially expressed miRNAs were detected under the criterion of normalized reads &ge, 10, including 51 known and 28 novel miRNAs. Degradome sequencing identified 799 targets predicted to be cleaved by 168 identified miRNAs. Among them, 29 differentially expressed miRNA and target pairs including miRNA396f-OsGRFs were identified by co-expression analysis. Overexpression of the osa-miR396f precursor in a susceptible rice variety showed enhanced resistance to D. zeae, coupled with significant accumulation of transcripts of osa-miR396f and reduction of its target the Growth-Regulating Factors (OsGRFs). Taken together, these findings suggest that miRNA and targets including miR396f-OsGRFs have a role in resisting the infections by bacteria D. zeae.

Traceability is a critical issue in the manufacturing of aerospace components. However, extracting understandable information from huge amounts of data from manufacturing processes may become a very difficult task. In this paper, a novel proposal for geometrical defect detection in the manufacturing of fir-tree slots for disk turbines using wire electrical discharge machining is presented. Useful data about the wire Electrical Discharge Machining (WEDM) process are collected every 5 ms and each single discharge is classified as a function of ignition delay time. Information from this large amount of data is extracted by using a deep neural network, which includes two hidden dense layers, each with 64 units and Relu activation, and it ends with a single unit with no activation. The average of the per-epoch absolute error (MAE) scores has been used to decide the optimum training situation for the deep learning network. Validation of the method has been carried out by machining a high-precision fir-tree slot for a disk turbine under industrial conditions. Results show that even though a strict tolerance band of &plusmn, 5 &micro, m has been applied, as many as 80% of the predictions from the network match the results of the conventional measuring method (coordinate measuring machine).

Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) is an important agricultural fish that has been plagued by Streptococcus iniae (S. iniae) infections in recent years, some of them severe. C5a peptidase is an important virulent factor of S. iniae. In this study, the subunit vaccine containing the truncated part of C5a peptidase (pSCPI) was mixed with aluminum hydroxide gel (AH), propolis adjuvant (PA), and Freund’s Incomplete Adjuvant (FIA). The immunogenicity of the pSCPI was detected by Western-blot in vitro. The relative percent survival (RPS), lysozyme activity, antibody titers, and the expression of the related immune genes were monitored in vivo to evaluate the immune effects of the three different adjuvants. The results showed that pSCPI exerted moderate immune protection (RPS = 46.43%), whereas each of the three adjuvants improved the immune protection of pSCPI. The immunoprotection of pSCPI + AH, pSCPI + PA, and pSCPI + FIA was characterized by RPS values of 67.86%, 75.00% and, 85.71%, respectively. Further, each of the three different adjuvanted pSCPIs stimulated higher levels of lysozyme activity and antibody titers than the unadjuvanted pSCPI and/or PBS buffer. In addition, pSCPI + FIA and pSCPI + PA induced expression of the related immune genes under investigation, which was substantially higher than the levels stimulated by PBS. pSCPI + AH significantly stimulated the induction of MHC II β, CD4-L2, and IFN-γ, while it induced slightly higher production of TNF-α and even led to a decrease in the levels of IL-1β, MHC I α, and CD8 α. Therefore, we conclude that compared with the other two adjuvants, FIA combined with pSCPI is a more promising candidate adjuvant against S. iniae in channel catfish.

Virtual Reality (VR) has been rapidly recognized and implemented in construction engineering education and training (CEET) in recent years due to its benefits of providing an engaging and immersive environment. The objective of this review is to critically collect and analyze the VR applications in CEET, aiming at all VR-related journal papers published from 1997 to 2017. The review follows a three-stage analysis on VR technologies, applications and future directions through a systematic analysis. It is found that the VR technologies adopted for CEET evolve over time, from desktop-based VR, immersive VR, 3D game-based VR, to Building Information Modelling (BIM)-enabled VR. A sibling technology, Augmented Reality (AR), for CEET adoptions has also emerged in recent years. These technologies have been applied in architecture and design visualization, construction health and safety training, equipment and operational task training, as well as structural analysis. Future research directions, including the integration of VR with emerging education paradigms and visualization technologies, have also been provided. The findings are useful for both researchers and educators to usefully integrate VR in their education and training programs to improve the training performance.

Influenza viruses are respiratory pathogens that are responsible for annual influenza epidemics and sporadic influenza pandemics. Oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) is currently the only FDA-approved oral drug that is available for the prevention and treatment of influenza virus infection. However, its narrow therapeutic window, coupled with the increasing incidence of drug resistance, calls for the next generation of influenza antivirals. In this study, we discovered hesperadin, an aurora B kinase inhibitor, as a broad-spectrum influenza antiviral through forward chemical genomics screening. Hesperadin inhibits multiple human clinical isolates of influenza A and B viruses with single to submicromolar efficacy, including oseltamivir-resistant strains. Mechanistic studies revealed that hesperadin inhibits the early stage of viral replication by delaying the nuclear entry of viral ribonucleoprotein complex, thereby inhibiting viral RNA transcription and translation as well as viral protein synthesis. Moreover, a combination of hesperadin with oseltamivir shows synergistic antiviral activity, therefore hesperadin can be used either alone to treat infections by oseltamivir-resistant influenza viruses or used in combination with oseltamivir to delay resistance evolution among oseltamivir-sensitive strains. In summary, the discovery of hesperadin as a broad-spectrum influenza antiviral offers an alternative to combat future influenza epidemics and pandemics.

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have recently gained attention because of their involvement in different biological processes. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that mutations or abnormal expression of ncRNAs are closely associated with various diseases including cancer. The present review is a comprehensive examination of the aberrant regulation of ncRNAs in colorectal cancer (CRC) and a summary of the current findings on ncRNAs, including long ncRNAs, microRNAs, small interfering RNAs, small nucleolar RNAs, small nuclear RNAs, Piwi-interacting RNAs, and circular RNAs. These ncRNAs might become novel biomarkers and targets as well as potential therapeutic tools for the treatment of CRC in the near future and this review may provide important clues for further research on CRC and for the selection of effective therapeutic targets.

Ryanodine receptors (RyRs) play a critical role in regulating the release of intracellular calcium, which enables them to be effectively targeted by the two novel classes of insecticides, phthalic acid diamides and anthranilic diamides. However, less information is available about this target site in insects, although the sequence and structure information of target molecules are essential for designing new control agents of high selectivity and efficiency, as well as low non-target toxicity. Here, we provided sufficient information about the coding sequence and molecular structures of RyR in T. citricida (TciRyR), an economically important pest. The full-length TciRyR cDNA was characterized with an open reading frame of 15,306 nucleotides, encoding 5101 amino acid residues. TciRyR was predicted to embrace all the hallmarks of ryanodine receptor, typically as the conserved C-terminal domain with consensus calcium-biding EF-hands (calcium-binding motif) and six transmembrane domains, as well as a large N-terminal domain. qPCR analysis revealed that the highest mRNA expression levels of TciRyR were observed in the adults, especially in the heads. Alternative splicing in TciRyR was evidenced by an alternatively spliced exon, resulting from intron retention, which was different from the case of RyR in Myzus persicae characterized with no alternative splicing events. Diagnostic PCR analysis indicated that the splicing of this exon was not only regulated in a body-specific manner but also in a stage-dependent manner. Taken together, these results provide useful information for new insecticide design and further insights into the molecular basis of insecticide action.

A Ni-based superalloy CMSX-6 was directionally solidified at various drawing speeds (5–20 μm·s−1) and diameters (4 mm, 12 mm) under a 0.5 T weak transverse magnetic field. The results show that the application of a weak transverse magnetic field significantly modified the solidification microstructure. It was found that if the drawing speed was lower than 10 μm·s−1, the magnetic field caused extensive macro-segregation in the mushy zone, and a change in the mushy zone length. The magnetic field significantly decreases the size of γ’ and the content of γ-γ’ eutectic. The formation of macro-segregation under a weak magnetic field was attributed to the interdendritic solute transport driven by the thermoelectric magnetic convection (TEMC). The γ’ phase refinement could be attributed to a decrease in nucleation activation energy owing to the magnetic field during solid phase transformation. The change of element segregation is responsible for the content decrease of γ-γ’ eutectic.

In an ongoing effort to identify novel drugs that can be used as neurotherapeutic compounds, we have focused on anilino enaminones as potential anticonvulsant agents. Enaminones are organic compounds containing a conjugated system of an amine, an alkene and a ketone. Here, we review the effects of a small library of anilino enaminones on neuronal activity. Our experimental approach employs an olfactory bulb brain slice preparation using whole-cell patch-clamp recording from mitral cells in the main olfactory bulb. The main olfactory bulb is a key integrative center in the olfactory pathway. Mitral cells are the principal output neurons of the main olfactory bulb, receiving olfactory receptor neuron input at their dendrites within glomeruli, and projecting glutamatergic axons through the lateral olfactory tract to the olfactory cortex. The compounds tested are known to be effective in attenuating pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) induced convulsions in rodent models. One compound in particular, KRS-5Me-4-OCF3, evokes potent inhibition of mitral cell activity. Experiments aimed at understanding the cellular mechanism underlying the inhibitory effect revealed that KRS-5Me-4-OCF3 shifts the concentration-response curve for GABA to the left. KRS-5Me-4-OCF3 enhances GABA affinity and acts as a positive allosteric modulator of GABAA receptors. Application of a benzodiazepine site antagonist blocks the effect of KRS-5Me-4-OCF3 indicating that KRS-5Me-4-OCF3 binds at the classical benzodiazepine site to exert its pharmacological action. This anilino enaminone KRS-5Me-4-OCF3 emerges as a candidate for clinical use as an anticonvulsant agent in the battle against epileptic seizures.

The aim of this study was to evaluate effect of diosgenin (DG) on rats that had osteoporosis-like features induced by ovariectomy (OVX). Seventy-two six-month-old female Wistar rats were subjected to either ovariectomy (n = 60) or Sham operation (SHAM group, n = 12). Beginning at one week post-ovariectomy, the OVX rats were treated with vehicle (OVX group, n = 12), estradiol valerate (EV group, n = 12), or DG at three doses (DG-L, -M, -H group, n = 12, respectively). After a 12-week treatment, administration of EV or DG-H inhibited OVX-induced weight gain, and administration of EV or DG-H or DG-M had a significantly uterotrophic effect. Bone mineral density (BMD) and indices of bone histomorphometry of tibia were measured. Levels of protein and mRNA expression of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) in tibia were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Our results show that DG at a high dose (DG-H) had a significant anti-osteoporotic effect compared to OVX control. DG-H treatment down-regulated expression of RANKL and up-regulated expression of OPG significantly in tibia from OVX rats compared to control, and thus lowered the RANKL/OPG ratio. This suggests that the anti-osteoporotic effect of DG might be associated with modulating the RANKL/OPG ratio and DG had potential to be developed as alternative therapeutic agents of osteoporosis induced by postmenopause.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a common orthopedic disorder of unknown etiology and pathogenesis. Melatonin and melatonin pathway dysfunction has been widely suspected to play an important role in the pathogenesis. Many different types of animal models have been developed to induce experimental scoliosis mimicking the pathoanatomical features of idiopathic scoliosis in human. The scoliosis deformity was believed to be induced by pinealectomy and mediated through the resulting melatonin-deficiency. However, the lack of upright mechanical spinal loading and inherent rotational instability of the curvature render the similarity of these models to the human counterparts questionable. Different concerns have been raised challenging the scientific validity and limitations of each model. The objectives of this review follow the logical need to re-examine and compare the relevance and appropriateness of each of the animal models that have been used for studying the etiopathogenesis of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in human in the past 15 to 20 years.

The microstructure of continuously hot-dip galvanizing Zn-Mg coating was investigated in order to obtain the mechanism of the effects of Mg on the corrosion resistance. In this paper, the vertical section of the Zn-0.20 wt % Al-Mg ternary phase diagram near the Al-low corner was calculated. The results indicates that the phase composition of the Zn-0.20 wt % Al-Mg ternary phase diagram near the Al-low corner is the same as Zn-Mg binary phase diagram, suggesting Al in the Zn-Mg (ZM) coatings mainly concentrates on the interfacial layer between the coating and steel substrate. The microstructure of continuously hot-dip galvanizing ZM coatings with 0.20 wt % Al containing 1.0–3.0 wt % Mg was investigated using tunneling electron microscopy (TEM). The morphology of Zn in the coating changes from bulk to strip and finally to mesh-like, and the MgZn2 changes from rod-like to mesh-like with the Mg content increasing. Al in the ZM coatings mainly segregates at the Fe2Al5 inhibition layer and the Mg added to the Zn bath makes this inhibition layer thinner and uneven. Compared to GI coating, the time of the first red rust appears increases by more than two-fold and expansion rate of red rust reduces by more than four-fold in terms of salt spray experiment. The ZM coating containing 2.0 wt % Mg has the best corrosion resistance. The enhanced corrosion resistance of ZM coatings mainly depends on different corrosion products.

The deep convolution neural network (CNN), which has prominent advantages in feature learning, can learn and extract features from data automatically. Existing polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) image classification methods based on the CNN only consider the polarization information of the image, instead of incorporating the image’s spatial information. In this paper, a novel method based on a dual-branch deep convolution neural network (Dual-CNN) is proposed to realize the classification of PolSAR images. The proposed method is built on two deep CNNs: one is used to extract the polarization features from the 6-channel real matrix (6Ch) which is derived from the complex coherency matrix. The other is utilized to extract the spatial features of a Pauli RGB (Red Green Blue) image. These extracted features are first combined into a fully connected layer sharing the polarization and spatial property. Then, the Softmax classifier is employed to classify these features. The experiments are conducted on the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) data of Flevoland and the results show that the classification accuracy on 14 types of land cover is up to 98.56%. Such results are promising in comparison with other state-of-the-art methods.

This study was conducted to explore whether exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) during pregnancy could change intestinal digestion and absorption function in offspring using pigs as a model, and whether methyl donor (MET) could counteract the BPA-induced impacts. Fifty Landrace × Yorkshire sows were divided into four dietary groups throughout gestation: control diet (CON); control diet supplemented with BPA (50 mg/kg); control diet supplemented with MET (3 g/kg betaine, 400 mg/kg choline, 150 μg/kg vitamin B12, and 15 mg/kg folic acid); and control diet with BPA and MET supplementation (BPA + MET). Intestine samples were collected from pigs’ offspring at birth and weaning. Maternal BPA exposure during pregnancy significantly reduced the ratio of jejunum villus height to crypt depth, decreased the jejunum sucrase activity, down-regulated the mRNA expression of jejunum peptide transporter 1 (Pept1) and DNA methyl transferase 3a (DNMT3a), and decreased the DNA methylation level of jejunum Pept1 in offspring (p < 0.05). Maternal MET supplementation significantly raised the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in jejunum and ileum, improved the jejunum lactase activity, up-regulated the mRNA expression of jejunum Pept1, lactase (LCT), DNMT1, DNMT3a, and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), and increased the DNA methylation level of jejunum Pept1 in offspring (p < 0.05). However, the ratio of jejunum villus height to crypt depth was higher in BPA + MET treatment compared with CON and BPA treatment (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, there was no difference in the jejunum sucrase activity, the mRNA expression of jejunum Pept1 and DNMT3a, and the DNA methylation level of jejunum Pept1 between CON and BPA + MET treatment. These results indicated that maternal exposure to BPA during gestation might suppress offspring’s intestinal digestion and absorption function, whereas supplementation of MET could counteract these damages, which might be associated with DNA methylation.

The citrus red mite, Panonychus citri (McGregor), is a major citrus pest with a worldwide distribution and an extensive record of pesticide resistance. However, the underlying molecular mechanism associated with fenpropathrin resistance in this species have not yet been reported. In this study, synergist triphenyl phosphate (TPP) dramatically increased the toxicity of fenpropathrin, suggesting involvement of carboxylesterases (CarEs) in the metabolic detoxification of this insecticide. The subsequent spatiotemporal expression pattern analysis of PcE1, PcE7 and PcE9 showed that three CarEs genes were all over-expressed after insecticide exposure and higher transcripts levels were observed in different field resistant strains of P. citri. Heterologous expression combined with 3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetra-zolium bromide (MTT) cytotoxicity assay in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells revealed that PcE1-, PcE7- or PcE9-expressing cells showed significantly higher cytoprotective capability than parental Sf9 cells against fenpropathrin, demonstrating that PcEs probably detoxify fenpropathrin. Moreover, gene silencing through the method of leaf-mediated dsRNA feeding followed by insecticide bioassay increased the mortalities of fenpropathrin-treated mites by 31% (PcE1), 27% (PcE7) and 22% (PcE9), respectively, after individual PcE gene dsRNA treatment. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that PcE1, PcE7 and PcE9 are functional genes mediated in fenpropathrin resistance in P. citri and enrich molecular understanding of CarEs during the resistance development of the mite.

Cannabinoids (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol) are the active ingredient of marijuana (cannabis) which is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the USA. In addition to being known and used as recreational drugs, cannabinoids are produced endogenously by neurons in the brain (endocannabinoids) and serve as important signaling molecules in the nervous system and the rest of the body. Cannabinoids have been implicated in bodily processes both in health and disease. Recent pharmacological and physiological experiments have described novel aspects of classic brain signaling mechanisms or revealed unknown mechanisms of cellular communication involving the endocannabinoid system. While several forms of signaling have been described for endocannabinoids, the most distinguishing feature of endocannabinoids is their ability to act as retrograde messengers in neural circuits. Neurons in the main olfactory bulb express high levels of cannabinoid receptors. Here, we describe the cellular mechanisms and function of this novel brain signaling system in regulating neural activity at synapses in olfactory circuits. Results from basic research have the potential to provide the groundwork for translating the neurobiology of drug abuse to the realm of the pharmacotherapeutic treatment of addiction, specifically marijuana substance use disorder.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a common orthopedic disorder of unknown etiology and pathogenesis. Melatonin and melatonin pathway dysfunction has been widely suspected to play an important role in the pathogenesis. Many different types of animal models have been developed to induce experimental scoliosis mimicking the pathoanatomical features of idiopathic scoliosis in human. The scoliosis deformity was believed to be induced by pinealectomy and mediated through the resulting melatonin-deficiency. However, the lack of upright mechanical spinal loading and inherent rotational instability of the curvature render the similarity of these models to the human counterparts questionable. Different concerns have been raised challenging the scientific validity and limitations of each model. The objectives of this review follow the logical need to re-examine and compare the relevance and appropriateness of each of the animal models that have been used for studying the etiopathogenesis of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in human in the past 15 to 20 years.