Search

Based on the deep foundation pit project of the TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) complex of the Shaoxing North High-speed Railway Station, the influence of different construction stages on the deformation and inclination rate of the adjacent elevated bridge and its variation law are studied through field measurement and numerical simulation. The construction process is optimized by the method of reinforcement outside the pit and adjustment of preloaded axial force, and the influence of distance on elevated bridges is summarized. The results show that with the excavation of the foundation pit, the deformation of the bridge pier and bridge pile foundation gradually increases, and the deformation of the bridge piers is larger than that of the bridge pile foundations. As the depth of soil reinforcement outside the pit and the preloaded axial force increases, the maximum vertical displacement of the bridge pier and bridge pile foundations gradually decreases. The deeper the depth of soil reinforcement, the better the displacement control effect on the elevated bridge. In actual construction, it is recommended that the depth of reinforcement be taken as the excavation depth of the pit. It is obvious that the preloaded axial force is subject to the pit angle effect, and the appropriate value of the preloaded axial force should be selected according to the site conditions. The deformation of the bridge pier and bridge pile foundation generally shows a decreasing trend with the increase in the distance between the elevated bridge and the foundation pit. When the elevated bridge is close to the foundation pit, it will be affected by the pit angle effect, and the fluctuation will decrease. The conclusions drawn in the article can serve as the basis and reference for design and construction, and provide reference for similar projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effects of oil quality and trace mineral source on the growth performance, antioxidant activity, and meat quality of growing–finishing pigs. A total of 180 crossbred pigs (Duroc × Landrace × Large White [64.4 ± 1.95]) were randomly allocated five dietary treatments based on body weight (BW) and sex in a 30 d trial. Pigs were fed five diets: (i) fresh soy oil + inorganic trace minerals (ITMs) + inorganic selenium (FISI), (ii) oxidized soy oil + ITMs + inorganic selenium (OISI), (iii) fresh soy oil + ITMs + selenium yeast (FISY), (iv) oxidized soy oil + ITMs + selenium yeast (OISY), and (v) oxidized soy oil + organic trace minerals (OTMs) + selenium yeast (OOSY). Each dietary treatment included six replicates and six pigs per replicate (three barrows and three gilts). Feeding OISI resulted in lower average daily gain (ADG) and dressing percentage (p < 0.05). The OOSY group had a higher dressing percentage and activities of serum CAT and GSH-Px in growing–finishing pigs (p < 0.05). In addition, the relative abundance of Campylobacterota in the colonic digesta varied with the quality of soy oil and source of trace minerals (p < 0.05), but no significant differences in short-chain fatty acid concentrations were observed among all dietary groups. In conclusion, adding oxidized soy oil to the diet negatively impacted the ADG and dressing percentage of growing–finishing pigs, and replacing ITMs with OTMs and SY alleviated these negative impacts. A combination of OTMs and SY can support antioxidant capacity to mitigate the negative impacts of oxidized oil on the growth performance and dressing percentage of growing–finishing pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accuracy in predicting the typhoon track can be key to minimizing their frequent disastrous effects. This article aims to study the accuracy of typhoon trajectory prediction obtained by combining several algorithms based on current deep-learning techniques. The combination of a Convolutional Neural Network with Long Short-Term Memory (CNN+LSTM), Patch Time-Series Transformer (CNN+PatchTST) and Transformer (CNN+Transformer) were the models chosen for this work. These algorithms were tested on the best typhoon track data from the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), ERA5 data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), and structured meteorological data from the Zhuhai Meteorological Bureau (ZMB) as an extension of existing studies that were based only on public data sources. The experimental results were obtained by testing two complete years of data (2021 and 2022), as an alternative to the frequent selection of a small number of typhoons in several years. Using the R-squared metric, results were obtained as significant as CNN+LSTM (0.991), CNN+PatchTST (0.989) and CNN+Transformer (0.969). CNN+LSTM without ZMB data can only obtain 0.987, i.e., 0.004 less than 0.991. Overall, our findings indicate that appropriately augmenting data near land and ocean boundaries around the coast improves typhoon track prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation quality is crucial for maintaining ecological health, and remote sensing techniques offer precise assessments of vegetation's environmental quality. Although existing indicators and remote sensing approaches provide extensive spatial coverage, challenges remain in effectively integrating diverse indicators for a comprehensive evaluation. This study introduces a comprehensive ecological quality index (EQI) to assess vegetation quality on the Mongolian Plateau from 2001 to 2020 and to identify the determinants of EQI variations over space and time. We developed the EQI using remotely sensed normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data and the net primary productivity (NPP). Our analysis revealed distinct spatial patterns, with high ecological quality concentrated in northern Mongolia and eastern Inner Mongolia. Temporal fluctuations, indicative of ecological shifts, were primarily observed in eastern Mongolia and specific zones of Inner Mongolia. We employed a Geographically Optimal Zones-based Heterogeneity (GOZH) model to analyze the spatial scales and interactions influencing EQI patterns. This study found that precipitation, with an Omega value of 0.770, was the dominant factor affecting the EQI, particularly at spatial scales of 40–50 km. The GOZH model provided deeper insights into the spatial determinants of the EQI compared with previous models, highlighting the importance of climatic variables and their interactions in driving ecological quality. This research enhanced our understanding of vegetation quality dynamics and established a foundation for ecosystem conservation and informed management strategies, emphasizing the critical role of climate, especially precipitation, in shaping ecological landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: At present, studies have shown that organic trace minerals have a positive impact on animal health compared with inorganic trace minerals. However, the effect of organic trace minerals on the intestinal health of adult cats has not been extensively explored. In our study, we investigated the effects of different trace mineral sources on the gut microbiota and digestive health in British Shorthair cats and dietary organic trace minerals on the intestinal barrier, immune function, anti-inflammatory ability, gut microbiota, and metabolites in adult British Shorthair cats. Our results suggest that compared to inorganic trace minerals, dietary organic trace minerals could enhance immune function, improve inflammatory state, and regulate the gut microbiota structure in cats. Trace minerals are essential for biological processes, including enzyme function, immune response, and hormone synthesis. The study assessed the effects of different dietary trace minerals on the gut health, microbiota composition, and immune function of cats. Eighteen adult British Shorthair cats were divided into three groups receiving inorganic trace minerals (ITM), a 50/50 mix of inorganic and organic trace minerals (ITM + OTM), or organic trace minerals (OTM) for 28 days. The OTM showed enhanced immune capacities, reduced intestinal barrier function, and lower inflammation condition. The OTM altered gut microbiota diversity, with a lower Simpson index and higher Shannon index (p < 0.05). Specifically, the abundance of Bacteroidota, Lachnospiraceae, and Prevotella in the OTM group were higher than the ITM group (p < 0.05). Metabolomic analysis identified 504 differential metabolites between the OTM and ITM groups (p < 0.05, VIP-pred-OPLS-DA > 1), affecting pathways related to steroid hormone biosynthesis and glycerophospholipid metabolism (p < 0.05, VIP-pred-OPLS-DA > 2). Additionally, there was a significant correlation between intestinal microbiota and differential metabolites. To conclude, dietary OTM can modulate the gut metabolite and microbiota composition, enhance immune and intestinal barrier function, and mitigate inflammation in cats, highlighting the benefit of using OTM in feline diet to promote the intestinal and overall health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of the Fengqi Chaoming project in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China, this paper investigates the influence of pile foundation construction on the existing tunnels in a metro protection area to ensure the stability and safety of the pile foundation construction in the area of Hangzhou Metro Line 2 through in situ pile tests and numerical simulations. The test results show that the pile foundation construction has a certain influence on the existing metro tunnels, and the degree of influence gradually decreases as the distance between the pile foundation and the metro tunnel increases. The corresponding impact level for the pile foundation at 12 m from the tunnel is 1.06 mm, and that for the pile foundation at 4.9 m from the tunnel is 1.18 mm. Different types of pile foundations also lead to different degrees of influence. The maximum settlement corresponding to triaxial cement mixing piles is 1.89 mm, while the hard-method occlusal piles is 1.18 mm. The monitoring point of the metro tunnel with the smallest distance from the pile foundation experiences the largest deformation, but several sets of deformation data meet the requirements of the deformation control index, indicating that the pile foundation construction is safe and controllable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The zoning excavation method is fully employed to control the deformation of foundation pits constructed in urban soft soil areas. However, the similarities and differences in forces and deformations between foundation pits excavated by the zonal method and those excavated by the conventional method still need to be further explored. In this study, the deformation was monitored and analyzed by taking the zonal excavation of a foundation pit of the 'New World' project in Hangzhou City as the research object. The measured results showed that the pre-built diaphragm wall for the first excavated foundation pit restricted the deformation of the first excavated diaphragm wall. The presence of extensive construction and unloading activities also changed the deformation pattern of the soil. Further, finite element simulations were carried out. The simulation results revealed that excavating the foundation pit first caused displacements in the pre-built diaphragm wall. The displacements transmitted by non-adjacent pits through the pre-built diaphragm wall were small and were concentrated at the junction of the two sub-pits. Adjacent foundation pits caused large displacements of the pre-built diaphragm wall with similar displacement patterns. The results of the study can provide effective guidance for foundation pit excavation in soft soil areas in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mining activities have significantly altered the land use patterns of mining areas, exacerbated the degree of landscape fragmentation, and thereby led to the loss of biodiversity. Ecological networks have been recognized as an essential component for enhancing habitat connectivity and protecting biodiversity. However, existing studies lack dynamic analysis at the landscape scale under multiple future scenarios for mining areas, which is adverse to the identification of ecological conservation regions. This study used the MOP-PLUS (multi-objective optimization problem and patch-level land use simulation) model to simulate the land use patterns in the balance of ecology and economy (EEB) scenario and ecological development priority (EDP) scenario for the Shendong coal base. Then, climate change and land use patterns were integrated into ecosystem models to analyze the dynamic changes in the ecological networks. Finally, the conservation priorities were constructed, and dynamic conservation hotspots were identified using landscape mapping methods. The following results were obtained: (1) From 2000 to 2020, large grassland areas were replaced by mining areas, while cultivated land was replenished. By 2030, the forest and grassland areas (967.00 km2, 8989.70 km2) will reach their peaks and the coal mine area (356.15 km2) will reach its nadir in the EDP scenario. (2) The fragmentation of ecological sources intensified (MPS decreased from 19.81 km2 to 18.68 km2) and ecological connectivity declined (in particular, α decreased by 6.58%) from 2000 to 2020. In 2030, the connectivity in the EDP scenario will increase, while the connectivity in the EEB scenario will be close to that of 2020. (3) The central and southeastern parts of the Shendong coal base have higher conservation priorities, which urgently need to be strengthened. This study offers guidance on addressing the challenges of habitat and biodiversity conservation in mining areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new optimization algorithm for backpropagation (BP) neural networks by fusing integer-order differentiation and fractional-order differentiation, while fractional-order differentiation has significant advantages in describing complex phenomena with long-term memory effects and nonlocality, its application in neural networks is often limited by a lack of physical interpretability and inconsistencies with traditional models. To address these challenges, we propose a mixed integer-fractional (MIF) gradient descent algorithm for the training of neural networks. Furthermore, a detailed convergence analysis of the proposed algorithm is provided. Finally, numerical experiments illustrate that the new gradient descent algorithm not only speeds up the convergence of the BP neural networks but also increases their classification accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the impact of dietary supplementation with selenium yeast (SeY) and glycerol monolaurate (GML) on the transfer of antioxidative capacity between the mother and fetus during pregnancy and its underlying mechanisms. A total of 160 sows with similar body weight and parity of 3–6 parity sows were randomly and uniformly allocated to four groups (n = 40) as follows: CON group, SeY group, GML group, and SG (SeY + GML) group. Animal feeding started from the 85th day of gestation and continued to the day of delivery. The supplementation of SeY and GML resulted in increased placental weight and reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels in sow plasma, placental tissues, and piglet plasma. Furthermore, the redox balance and inflammatory markers exhibited significant improvements in the plasma of sows fed with either SeY or GML, as well as in their offspring. Moreover, the addition of SeY and GML activated the Nrf2 signaling pathway, while downregulating the expression of pro-inflammatory genes and proteins associated with inflammatory pathways (MAPK and NF-κB). Vascular angiogenesis and nutrient transportation (amino acids, fatty acids, and glucose) were upregulated, whereas apoptosis signaling pathways within the placenta were downregulated with the supplementation of SeY and GML. The integrity of the intestinal and placental barriers significantly improved, as indicated by the increased expression of ZO-1, occludin, and claudin-1, along with reduced levels of DLA and DAO with dietary treatment. Moreover, supplementation of SeY and GML increased the abundance of Christensenellaceae_R-7_group, Clostridium_sensus_stricto_1, and Bacteroidota, while decreasing levels of gut microbiota metabolites LPS and trimethylamine N-oxide. Correlation analysis demonstrated a significant negative relationship between plasma LPS levels and placental weight, oxidative stress, and inflammation. In summary, dietary supplementation of SeY and GML enhanced the transfer of antioxidative capacity between maternal-fetal during pregnancy via gut–placenta axis through modulating sow microbiota composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Razor clams, belonging to the Pharidae and Solenidae families, are ecologically and economically important; however, very little research has been conducted on the Pharidae family. The genus Novaculina is a marine-derived freshwater lineage, and Novaculina chinensis is a rare freshwater species of the Pharidae family. In order to understand the phylogenetic relationships of N. chinensis, we sequenced the mitochondrial genome of the genus Novaculina, which is 16,262 bp in length and consists of 12 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), and 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs). The phylogenetic relationships of 69 Imparidentian mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) indicated that N. chineisis is closely related to Sinonovacula constricta of the order Adapedonta. Our study also found that the Ka/Ks ratios of 12 protein-coding genes in the Pharidae family are lower than one, indicating the occurrence of negative purification selection. Morphological observations of the siphons of N. chinensis, Novaculina myanmarensis, and Novaculina gangetica indicate that N. chinensis may be the ancestral clade of the genus Novaculina, which has not been proposed in previous studies. Our study provides useful molecular information on the phylogenetic and evolutionary relationships of Pharidae and also contributes to the conservation and management of the germplasm resources of N. chinensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use cannot be simply understood as land cover. The same land may carry different functions, such as production, living, and ecological applications; the dominant function of land will affect and restrict other uses. Disorderly urbanization and industrialization have led to an intensification of conflicts among the production, living, and ecological functions of land, which is a major constraint on regional sustainable development. This paper took the perspective of land-use function and used multi-source data such as Sentinel remote-sensing imagery, VIIRS night-time light data, and POIs to classify land-use functions on a large scale in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) urban agglomeration. The specific research process was as follows. Firstly, the BTH region was multi-scale-segmented based on Sentinel remote-sensing data. Then, the spectral, texture, shape, and socio-economic features of each small area after segmentation were extracted. Moreover, a PLES land-use classification system oriented towards land-use function was established, and a series of representative samples were selected. Subsequently, a random forest model was trained using these samples; then, the trained model was used for the large-scale analysis of land use in the entire BTH region. Finally, the spatial distribution patterns and temporal–spatial evolution characteristics of PLES in the BTH region from 2016 to 2021 were analyzed from the macro level to the micro level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban development and coal extraction have caused conflicts regarding production, living, and ecological lands in the Yellow River basin. Here, a coupled genetic algorithm–patch generating land use simulation InVEST model was constructed to optimize land use/land cover (LULC) and simulate carbon storage changes. This study shows that the LULC changed dramatically from 2010 to 2020 in an area that accounts for 31.96% of the area of the Yellow River basin. Inappropriate land use conversion and encroachment have reduced carbon storage by 2.92 × 106 t, destroying the stability of the ecosystem. The development of cities has encroached on cultivated land, which may have affected the region's food security. Following LULC optimization, ecological and cultivated lands are gradually being restored, and the transition between the different lands tends to be orderly, resulting in an increase of 24.84 × 106 t in carbon storage. The relationship between LULC and carbon storage shows that the high carbon intensity of woodland, grassland, and cultivated land is crucial to ensuring regional carbon balance. For the Yellow River basin, necessary environmental protection measures are the key to achieving high-quality economic development. This study can provide guidance for decision-makers in formulating ecosystem restoration plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chordomas account for approximately 1–4% of all malignant bone tumors and 20% of primary tumors of the spinal column. It is a rare disease, with an incidence estimated to be approximately 1 per 1,000,000 people. The underlying causative mechanism of chordoma is unknown, which makes it challenging to treat. Chordomas have been linked to the T-box transcription factor T (TBXT) gene located on chromosome 6. The TBXT gene encodes a protein transcription factor TBXT, or brachyury homolog. Currently, there is no approved targeted therapy for chordoma. Here, we performed a small molecule screening to identify small chemical molecules and therapeutic targets for treating chordoma. We screened 3730 unique compounds and selected 50 potential hits. The top three hits were Ribociclib, Ingenol-3-angelate, and Duvelisib. Among the top 10 hits, we found a novel class of small molecules, including proteasomal inhibitors, as promising molecules that reduce the proliferation of human chordoma cells. Furthermore, we discovered that proteasomal subunits PSMB5 and PSMB8 are increased in human chordoma cell lines U-CH1 and U-CH2, confirming that the proteasome may serve as a molecular target whose specific inhibition may lead to better therapeutic strategies for chordoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The depression of egg quality during the late stage of the laying cycle is one of the knotty issues in the poultry industry, which cause a great economic loss. Our study revealed that 0.45 mg/kg selenium yeast supplementation can alleviate the decline of egg quality in aged laying hens. In addition, organs Se levels and plasma antioxidant capacity were significantly higher with Se supplementation. Transcriptomic analysis identified some key candidate genes and potential molecular processes involved in selenium yeast's effects on eggshell formation. We inferred that 0.45 mg/kg selenium yeast has potential functions to alleviate the decrease in eggshell quality in aged laying hens to extend the laying cycle. These findings provide several new fundamental insights into improving egg quality in aged laying hens and extending the laying cycle. Internal egg and eggshell quality are often deteriorated in aging laying hens, which causes huge economic losses in the poultry industry. Selenium yeast (SY), as an organic food additive, is utilized to enhance laying performance and egg quality. To extend the egg production cycle, effects of selenium yeast supplementation on egg quality, plasma antioxidants and selenium deposition in aged laying hens were evaluated. In this study, five hundred and twenty-five 76-week-old Jing Hong laying hens were fed a selenium-deficient (SD) diet for 6 weeks. After Se depletion, the hens were randomly divided into seven treatments, which included an SD diet, and dietary supplementation of SY and sodium selenite (SS) at 0.15, 0.30, and 0.45 mg/kg to investigate the effect on egg quality, plasma antioxidant capacity, and selenium content in reproductive organs. After 12 weeks of feeding, dietary SY supplementation resulted in higher eggshell strength (SY0.45) (p < 0.05) and lower shell translucence. Moreover, organs Se levels and plasma antioxidant capacity (T-AOC, T-SOD, and GSH-Px activity) were significantly higher with Se supplementation (p < 0.05). Transcriptomic analysis identified some key candidate genes including cell migration inducing hyaluronidase 1 (CEMIP), ovalbumin (OVAL), solute carrier family 6 member 17 (SLC6A17), proopiomelanocortin (POMC), and proenkephalin (PENK), and potential molecular processes (eggshell mineralization, ion transport, and eggshell formation) involved in selenium yeast's effects on eggshell formation. In conclusion, SY has beneficial functions for eggshell and we recommend the supplementation of 0.45 mg/kg SY to alleviate the decrease in eggshell quality in aged laying hens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An energy supply and demand forecasting system can help decision-makers grasp more comprehensive information, make accurate decisions and even plan a carbon-neutral future when adjusting energy structure, developing alternative energy resources and so on. This paper presents a hierarchical design of an energy supply and demand forecasting system based on web crawler and a grey dynamic model called GM(1,1) which covers all the process of data collection, data analysis and data prediction. It mainly consists of three services, namely Crawler Service (CS), Algorithm Service (AS), Data Service (DS). The architecture of multiple loose coupling services makes the system flexible in more data, and more advanced prediction algorithms for future energy forecasting works. In order to make higher prediction accuracy based on GM(1,1), this paper illustrates some basic enhanced methods and their combinations with adaptable variable weights. An implementation for testing the system was applied, where the model was set up for coal, oil and natural gas separately, and the enhanced GM was better with relative error about 9.18% than original GM on validation data between 2010 and 2020. All results are available for reference on adjusting of energy structure and developing alternative energy resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the geographical origins of white tea is of significance because the quality and price of white tea from different production areas vary largely from different growing environment and climatic conditions. In this study, we used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) with white tea (n = 579) to produce models to discriminate these origins under different conditions. Continuous wavelet transform (CWT), min-max normalization (Minmax), multiplicative scattering correction (MSC) and standard normal variables (SNV) were used to preprocess the original spectra (OS). The approaches of principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and successive projection algorithm (SPA) were used for features extraction. Subsequently, identification models of white tea from different provinces of China (DPC), different districts of Fujian Province (DDFP) and authenticity of Fuding white tea (AFWT) were established by K-nearest neighbors (KNN), random forest (RF) and support vector machine (SVM) algorithms. Among the established models, DPC-CWT-LDA-KNN, DDFP-OS-LDA-KNN and AFWT-OS-LDA-KNN have the best performances, with recognition accuracies of 88.97%, 93.88% and 97.96%, respectively; the area under curve (AUC) values were 0.85, 0.93 and 0.98, respectively. The research revealed that NIRS with machine learning algorithms can be an effective tool for the geographical origin traceability of white tea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The early weaning of piglets is a key strategy for the modern pig industry. However, the digestive system of early-weaned piglets is not well developed, and weaned piglets suffering from psychological, nutritional and environmental stresses, cause significant losses to the pig industry. In order to mitigate the challenges of weaning, adding zinc oxide to the diet of weaned piglets has become standard in the industry. However, the excessive output of zinc from pigs' feces to the water and soil will produce toxicity to crops and threaten animal and human health. Mannan-rich fraction, derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, can improve gut health and the immune system. In addition, protein-chelated zinc has stable chemical properties, a higher absorption rate and biological potency. Therefore, we speculate that the combination of protein-chelated zinc and mannan-rich fraction will be an alternative to high-dose zinc oxide to relieve weaning stress. Our study showed that the combined addition of protein-chelated zinc and mannan-rich fraction is an alternative for zinc oxide in beneficially supporting the growth performance and intestinal health of weaned piglets, as well as contributing to a lower diarrhea rate and environmental pollution from fecal zinc excretion. A total of 168 weaned piglets (average initial body weight of 7.70 ± 0.75 kg) were used in a 4-week feeding trial to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with protein-chelated zinc (Zn-Pro) alone or combined with a mannan-rich fraction (MRF) to replace high-dose zinc oxide (ZnO) for weaned piglets. The dietary treatments included a basal diet as control (CON), a ZnO diet (basal diet + 1600 mg Zn/kg from ZnO), a Zn-Pro diet (basal diet + 60 mg Zn/kg from Zn-Pro), and a MRF plus Zn-Pro diet (MRP, basal diet + 800 mg/kg MRF + 60 mg Zn/kg from Zn-Pro). The average daily gain of piglets in the MRP group was higher (p ≤ 0.05) than that in CON and Zn-Pro groups during d 15–28 and d 1–28 of experiment. The apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, and crude protein in the MRP group was higher (p ≤ 0.05) than that in the CON group. The serum insulin-like growth factor-1 level in the MRP group was markedly higher (p ≤ 0.05) than that of piglets in the other three treatment groups. Piglets fed the Zn-Pro and ZnO diets had greater (p ≤ 0.05) acetic acid in cecal digesta than those fed the CON diet, while the MRP diet had higher (p ≤ 0.05) cecal propionate concentration than those that were fed the CON diet on d 28 of experiment. Moreover, the villus height of ileum in the MRP group tended to be greater than the CON group (p = 0.09). Compared with the CON and MRP groups, the relative abundance of Lactobacillaceae (p = 0.08) and Lachnospiraceae (p = 0.09) in the Zn-Pro group showed an increasing trend. The relative abundance of Prevotellaceae in the Zn-Pro group was significantly lower (p ≤ 0.05) than that in the MRP group. In conclusion, the combined addition of MRF and Zn-Pro acted as a suitable alternative to ZnO to beneficially support the growth performance and intestinal health of weaned piglets, as well as contribute to a lower diarrhea rate and environmental pollution from fecal zinc excretion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological space (ES), including forest ecological space (FES) and grassland ecological space (GES) in this study, is the land with natural attributes and the main functions of providing ecological services, which has a huge potential capacity for carbon sink (CS). The interannual fluctuation of the CS in ES is severe, which is affected by factors such as precipitation and temperature, but it is still controversial which is the dominant factor in affecting the fluctuation process of the CS in ES. To this end, the multi-source remote sensing monitoring data on the fine-grid scale were collected in this study, including the land use and land cover remote sensing monitoring data, the data products of moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (including land surface water index, photosynthetically active radiation, enhanced vegetation index, gross primary productivity), and meteorological data (including precipitation and temperature). By coupling the vegetation photosynthesis model and soil respiration model, the CS in CES from 2010 to 2020 was calculated, and the interannual fluctuation trends and stability of CS in CES were analyzed. Furthermore, the correlation coefficient and partial correlation coefficient equation between the CS of CES with precipitation and temperature were constructed to explore the correlation between interannual fluctuation of CS in CES with meteorological factor, and to determine the dominant position of precipitation and temperature in affecting the fluctuation process of the CS in CES. The research results show that the annual average CS of per unit area in CES was 233.78 gC·m−2·a−1, and the cumulative CS was 11.83 PgC. The GES and FES contributed 6.33 PgC and 5.49 PgC of CS, respectively. From 2010 to 2020, the CS of CES showed an upward trend and was generally in a relatively stable state (the mean value of the coefficient of variation was 0.6248). However, the year with severe fluctuation of was found in this study (from 2013 to 2015), the reason is that the precipitation was too low in 2014, which indicated that climate change, especially the change of precipitation, played a important role in the fluctuation of CS in CES. The results of correlation analysis confirmed the above analysis. The change of CS in CES is highly positively correlated with the change of precipitation (the correlation coefficient is 0.085), and weakly positively correlation with temperature (the correlation coefficient was 0.026). The precipitation is the dominant influencing factor, which has a positive effect on CS in CES. Within a climate environment dominated by precipitation, precipitation and temperature jointly affect the CS in CES. It should be noted that in some regions with variable climate, precipitation and temperature had relatively little impact on CS in CES. Their fluctuations may depend more on the ecosystem's own ecological services' regulation ability and their response degree to changes in atmospheric CO2 concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production space, living space, and ecological space (PLES) increasingly restrict and influence each other, and the urban PLES conflict significantly affects the sustainable development of a city. This study extracts multi-dimensional features from high-resolution remote sensing images, building vectors, points of interest (POI), and nighttime lighting data, and applies them to urban PLES feature recognition, dividing Ningbo into an agricultural production space, industrial and commercial production space, public living space, resident living space and ecological space. The specific research work was as follows: first, a convolutional neural network (CNN) was used to extract high-rise scene information from high-resolution remote sensing images; at the same time, through the geostatistical method, the building vector features, POI features, and night light features were extracted to express the economic and social characteristics of a city. Then, we used the nearest neighbor algorithm, decision-making tree algorithm, and random forest algorithm to train individual and combined features. Finally, random forest, which had the best training effect, was selected as the classifier in the fusion stage; as a result, the prediction accuracy rate reached 90.79%. The experimental results showed that the recognition model, based on multisource data and machine learning, had a good classification effect. Finally, we analyzed the current situation of the spatial distribution of PLES in Ningbo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy crises, water shortages, and rising carbon emissions are constantly posing new demands and challenges to global economic development. Considering the problem of high emissions and high water consumption in the process of energy production and transformation in resource-based cities, this study established the LEAP-Jincheng model based on the low emissions analysis platform (LEAP) model. Taking 2020 as the base year, the baseline scenario (BS), policy scenario (PS), and intensified scenario (IS) were set to predict future energy and water consumption and carbon emissions of Jincheng from 2021 to 2050. The results show that both PS and IS can achieve energy conservation and emission reduction to some extent. The total energy consumption of PS will be 32.89 million metric tons of coal equivalent in 2050, 15.62% less than the BS. However, the carbon emissions in 2030 will reach 8221 metric tons CO2 equivalent, which is significantly higher than that in other scenarios. In PS, carbon emissions after 2030 will not be significantly reduced, and the energy–water elasticity coefficient is −0.77, which fails to achieve effective emission reduction under energy–water synergy. The total energy consumption of the IS will be 22.57 million metric tons of coal equities in 2050, which has a total decrease of 31.38%, compared to BS. In the IS, the carbon emissions will reach a peak in 2030 (68.77 million metric tons CO2 equivalent) and subsequently reduce to 50.72 million metric tons CO2 equivalent in 2050, which has a total decrease of 50.64%, compared to BS. Furthermore, water consumption and energy–water synergy results show that the elastic coefficient is 1.37 in the IS. The IS is the best scenario for Jincheng to achieve coordinated development of energy and water resources from a low-carbon perspective. This study can provide a scientific basis for decision-making departments of Jincheng to formulate targeted sustainable development policies for energy and water and has an essential promoting significance for China to achieve the "double carbon" goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reduce the influence of abnormal data on load forecasting effects and further improve the training efficiency of forecasting models when adding new samples to historical data set, an ultra-short-term load dynamic forecasting method considering abnormal data reconstruction based on model incremental training is proposed in this paper. Firstly, aiming at the abnormal data in ultra-short-term load forecasting, a load abnormal data processing method based on isolation forests and conditional adversarial generative network (IF-CGAN) is proposed. The isolation forest algorithm is used to accurately eliminate the abnormal data points, and a conditional generative adversarial network (CGAN) is constructed to interpolate the abnormal points. The load-influencing factors are taken as the condition constraints of the CGAN, and the weighted loss function is introduced to improve the reconstruction accuracy of abnormal data. Secondly, aiming at the problem of low model training efficiency caused by the new samples in the historical data set, a model incremental training method based on a bidirectional long short-term memory network (Bi-LSTM) is proposed. The historical data are used to train the Bi-LSTM, and the transfer learning is introduced to process the incremental data set to realize the adaptive and rapid adjustment of the model weight and improve the model training efficiency. Finally, the real power grid load data of a region in eastern China are used for simulation analysis. The calculation results show that the proposed method can reconstruct the abnormal data more accurately and improve the accuracy and efficiency of ultra-short-term load forecasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, outliers caused by manual operation errors and equipment acquisition failures often occur, bringing challenges to big data analysis. In view of the difficulties in identifying and correcting outliers of multi-source data, an intelligent identification and order-sensitive correction method of outliers from multi-data sources based on historical data mining was proposed. First, an intelligent identification method of outliers of single-source data is proposed based on neural tangent kernel K-means (NTKKM) clustering. The original data is mapped to high-dimensional feature space using Neural Tangent Kernel, where the features of outliers are acquired by K-means clustering to realize the accurate identification of outliers. Second, an order-sensitive missing value imputation framework for multi-source data (OMSMVI) was proposed. The similarity graph of sources with missing data was constructed based on multidimensional similarity analysis, and the filling order decision was transformed into an optimization problem to realize the optimal filling order decision of missing values in multi-source data. Finally, a neighborhood-based imputation (NI) algorithm is proposed. Based on the traditional KNN filling algorithm, neighboring nodes of sources with missing data are flexibly selected to the achieve accurate correction of outliers. The case experiment was operated on actual power grid data, and the results show that the proposed clustering method can identify outliers more accurately, and the determined optimal imputation sequence has higher accuracy, which provide a feasible new idea for the identification and correction of outliers in the process of data preprocessing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes an optimisation approach to improve multiple-criteria aspiration-level public transportation performance by combining public transport criteria matrix analytic hierarchy process (PTCM-AHP) models and multi-aspiration-level goal programming. The approach uses the PTCM-AHP to calculate the system weights. Based on the weight values, the approach combines the multi-aspiration goal-level selection process in three different ways. The proposed approach was used to optimise public transportation networks in Bayswater, Cockburn, and Stonnington, Australia, to demonstrate the public transportation network performance optimisation process. By controlling the criteria goal value interval, this new approach combines decision-making plans and strategies to optimise various scenarios. The optimisation outcomes can be applied to provide guidelines for improving the performance of public transportation networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As shown in Figure 4C, the activities of GCK, PFK and PDH of shrimp fed the O60, O90 and O120 diets were significantly higher than those of shrimp fed the control diet ( I p < i 0.05). This study aimed to assess dietary organic zinc (Zn-proteinate) on zinc homeostasis, antioxidant capacity, immune response, glycolysis, intestinal microbiota and resistance to I V. parahaemolyticus i in white shrimp, which will provide a comprehensive assessment of organic zinc application in shrimp culture. Keywords: organic zinc; zinc homeostasis; antioxidants; immunity; glycolysis; intestinal microbiota; Litopenaeus vannamei Boone, 1931 EN organic zinc zinc homeostasis antioxidants immunity glycolysis intestinal microbiota Litopenaeus vannamei Boone, 1931 N.PAG N.PAG 20 08/29/22 20220801 NES 220801 1. The antioxidant-related gene expressions (Figure 2C) showed that the expressions of CAT, Gpx, GST and G6PDH of shrimp fed the O60, O90 and O120 diets were significantly higher than those of shrimp fed the control diet ( I p < i 0.05). The expressions of ProPO, LZM and Hemo of shrimp fed the S120, O60, O90 and O120 diets were significantly higher than those of shrimp fed the control diet ( I p < i 0.05). [Extracted from the article]

With the increase in global carbon dioxide emissions, China has put forward the goals of a carbon peak and carbon neutrality (double carbon) and formulated an action plan to consolidate and enhance the carbon sink capacity of the ecosystem. The Chinese grassland ecosystem (CGE) is widely distributed and is the key link for China to achieve the double carbon objectives. However, there is a relative lack of research on carbon sources and sinks in the CGE, so it is urgent to integrate and analyze the carbon sources and sinks in the grassland ecosystem on the national scale. Based on the refined grid data, the net ecosystem productivity (NEP) of the CGE was estimated by coupling the vegetation production model and soil respiration model. The results showed that the cumulative carbon sequestration of the CGE was 14.46 PgC from 2010 to 2020. In terms of spatial distribution, this shows that the differentiation characteristics are high in the northwest of China and low in the southeast of China, which strongly corresponds with the 400 mm isohyet and 0 °C isotherm of China. The results of the correlation analysis showed that the NEP of the CGE was positively correlated with precipitation and negatively correlated with temperature; that is, precipitation mainly promotes the accumulation of NEP, and temperature mainly inhibits it. The coupling effect of temperature and precipitation jointly affects the spatial change of carbon sources and sinks of the CGE. This study can provide a scientific basis for government departments to formulate targeted policies to deal with climate change, which is of great significance for China to improve ecosystem management, ensure ecological security and promote the realization of China's double carbon goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esophageal motility disorders account for a large proportion of nonobstructive dysphagia cases, which constitute a heterogeneous group of diagnoses that commonly result in peristaltic derangement and impaired relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter. We performed a single-institution retrospective study enrolling consecutive patients with chief complaints of dysphagia who underwent HRIM from December 2014 to December 2019, and analyzed demographic, clinical, and manometric data using descriptive statistics. In total, 277 identified patients were included in the final analysis. Ineffective esophageal motility (n = 152, 24.5%) was the most common diagnosis by HRIM, followed by absent contractility, EGJ outflow obstruction, type II achalasia, and type I achalasia. Furthermore, surgery including exploratory, laparoscopic, and robotic myotomy, as well as POEM, is considered the most effective treatment for patients with non-spastic achalasia and EGJOO, due to its effective symptom palliation and prevention of disease progression; surgery also contributes to an obvious improvement of dysphagia compared with slightly less efficacy for other related symptoms. Our study aimed to elaborate the clinical characteristics of patients with nonobstructive dysphagia based on HRIM in a Taiwanese population, and to analyze the therapeutic outcomes of such patients who ultimately underwent surgical interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China put forward the optimization of territorial space development patterns as the primary measure of ecological civilization construction, and put forward the goal of "promoting intensive and efficient production space, livable and moderate living space, and beautiful (picturesque scenery) ecological space". Through literature research and summing induction, this paper combs the research progress of the overall optimization of "Production–Living–Ecological" space (PLES) systematically. It is found that the existing work mainly focuses on the overall optimization of PLES from the perspectives of land-use quality, land-use suitability evaluation, resource and environmental carrying capacity, and comparative advantages. However, due to the lack of understanding of the scientific connotation of PLES, and the imperfect construction of quantitative identification methods and classification system, there are many problems in the technical approaches of the overall optimization of PLES, which remain to be clarified. In the future, the technological approach to the overall optimization of PLES should be guided by the vision of building a beautiful China, with the theory of a human–Earth coupling system as the core, and systematically build a theoretical system and technical framework to identify and optimize territorial space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, based on the concept of collaborative water–energy development, a multi-scenario system dynamics simulation model of a water–energy coupling system was constructed by using the system dynamics modeling method. The model was composed of four subsystems: society, economic, water resources, and energy. Taking Ningbo City as the research location to run the simulation model, the analysis of the validity of the model showed that the relative error between the historical data and the simulation results of the model was less than 10%, which proved that the model passed the test. In this paper, based on the scenario of business an usual (BAU), three scenarios of water-saving scenario (WSS), energy-saving scenario (ESS), and comprehensive savings (CS, the comprehensive scenario considers water-saving and energy-saving together) were designed, and the simulation indexes in the three scenarios were refined in order to strengthen the control of water-saving policies, improve the effective use of water, optimize the industrial energy structure, improve the level of energy-saving-related technologies, and advance the urbanization process. The simulation results for Ningbo City from 2010 to 2030 show that the water–energy coupling system is affected by many factors, and the adjustment of a driving factor of any subsystem will have an impact on the water–energy coupling system. There are two driving factors: the first is a constant variable related to water resources, energy, society, and economic, and the second is a variable affected by time. The coupling system is based on the law of real development and is composed of causal and functional relationships between variables. Therefore, within the prediction range of 2030, the driving factors in the coupling system are controllable, and there is no uncontrollable situation. The strengthening of water-saving policies and the improvement of the coefficient of the effective utilization of water will have the optimal saving effects on water resources and energy at both the single and the coupling level; this also demonstrates that the water resource management in Ningbo City plays an extremely important role in the relationship of the water–energy coupling. The results of this study are expected to provide a valuable reference for the management and conservation of water–energy coupling in Ningbo City. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the daily sunspot number (SN) data (1954–2011) from the Purple Mountain Observatory, the extreme value theory (EVT) is employed for the research of the long-term solar activity. It is the first time that the EVT is applied on the Chinese SN. Two methods are used for the research of the extreme events with EVT. One method is the block maxima (BM) approach, which picks the maximum SN value of each block. Another one is the peaks-over-threshold (POT) approach. After a declustering process, a threshold value (here it is 300) is set to pick the extreme values. The negative shape parameters are obtained by the two methods, respectively, indicating that there is an upper bound for the extreme SN value. Only one value of the N -year return level (RL) is estimated: N = 19 years. For N = 19 years, the RL values of SN obtained by two methods are similar with each other. The RL values are found to be 420 for the POT method and the BM method. Here, the trend of 25th solar cycle is predicted to be stronger, indicating that the length of meridional forms of atmospheric circulation will be increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioethanol will play a significant role in energy structure adjustment and greenhouse gas mitigation in the future, especially in the transport sector. As bioethanol production with grain crops may become obsolete due to food security concerns, the Chinese government has advocated the development of non-grain bioethanol. According to the current actual situation of bioethanol development and China's Liquid Biofuel Development Roadmap, we defined three stages of bioethanol development. We focused on the assessment of bioethanol feedstock resources and bioethanol yield potential in different stages using a comprehensive evaluation system integrating statistical methods, crop growth process models, and geographic information system (GIS) techniques. The considered feedstocks included corn, sweet sorghum, cassava, switchgrass, crop straw, and forest residues. The spatial–temporal characteristics of the regional bioethanol distribution were discussed. The results indicate that the total resources of corn, sweet sorghum, cassava, switchgrass, crop straws, and forest residues were about 257.17, 2083.55, 44.36, 357.56, 1031.62, and 924 million tons at different time points, respectively. In the first stage, the year 2020, the potential bioethanol totaled 21.55 million tons. An advantage in bioethanol development was demonstrated by Northeast China. A positive development situation was also identified in East China, such as in Tianjin. In the second stage, from 2020 to 2030, the potential bioethanol production is estimated to be 145.42 million tons. The bioethanol development potential will increase in South China, in areas such as Yunnan, Guangxi, and Guizhou. In the third stage, the potential bioethanol based on switchgrass is estimated to be 92.99 million tons. The potential bioethanol based on crop straws and forest residues will be 14.76 million tons if 5% of these feedstocks are fully used for producing bioethanol. Regions with a large development potential will be further expanded. Interregional bioethanol flows and international cooperation will help meet the whole nation's requirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is conducted to investigate the effects of dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-rich microalgae (MA, Aurantiochytrium sp.) on health lipid indices, stability, and quality properties of meat from laying hens. A total of 450 healthy 50-wk-old Hy-Line Brown layers were randomly allotted to 5 groups (6 replicates of 15 birds each), which received diets supplemented with 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0% MA for 15 weeks. Fatty acid contents and quality properties of breast and thigh muscles from two randomly selected birds per replicate (n = 12) were measured. The oxidative stability of fresh, refrigerated, frozen, and cooked meat was also determined. Results indicated that supplemental MA produced dose-dependent enrichments of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA), predominantly DHA, in breast and thigh muscles, with more health-promoting n-6/n-3 ratios (1.87–5.27) and favorable lipid health indices (p < 0.05). MA supplementation did not affect tenderness (shear force) and color (L*, a*, and b* values) of hen meat nor muscle endogenous antioxidant enzymes and fresh meat oxidation (p > 0.05). However, the n-3 LC-PUFA deposition slightly increased lipid oxidation in cooked and stored (4 °C) meat (p < 0.05). In conclusion, MA supplementation improves the nutritional quality of hen meat in terms of lipid profile without compromising meat quality attributes. Appropriate antioxidants are required to mitigate oxidation when such DHA-enriched meat is subjected to cooking and storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary AFB1 on growth performance, health, intestinal microbiota communities and AFB1 tissue residues of turbot and evaluate the mitigation efficacy of yeast cell wall extract, Mycosorb® (YCWE) toward AFB1 contaminated dietary treatments. Nine experimental diets were formulated: Diet 1 (control): AFB1 free; Diets 2–5 or Diets 6–9: 20 μg AFB1/kg diet or 500 μg AFB1/kg diet + 0%, 0.1%, 0.2%, or 0.4% YCWE, respectively). The results showed that Diet 6 significantly decreased the concentrations of TP, GLB, C3, C4, T-CHO, TG but increased the activities of AST, ALT in serum, decreased the expressions of CAT, SOD, GPx, CYP1A but increased the expressions of CYP3A, GST-ζ1, p53 in liver. Diet 6 increased the AFB1 residues in serum and muscle, altered the intestinal microbiota composition, decreased the bacterial community diversity and the abundance of some potential probiotics. However, Diet 8 and Diet 9 restored the immune response, relieved adverse effects in liver, lowered the AFB1 residues in turbot tissues, promoted intestinal microbiota diversity and lowered the abundance of potentially pathogens. In conclusion, YCWE supplementation decreased the health effects of AFB1 on turbot, restoring biomarkers closer to the mycotoxin-free control diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production–living–ecological space (PLES) is a recent research hotspot on land planning and regional sustainable development in China. Taking the Yangtze River Delta agglomerations as a case study, this paper establishes a spatial-conflict index to identify the PLES conflicts, and then builds a cellular-automaton (CA) Markov model to simulate the PLES pattern in 2030 and to evaluate the influence on PLES conflicts under two scenarios. Results showed that the ecological space (ES) and the living–productive space (LPS) of the Yangtze River Delta agglomerations showed a descending tendency in 2010–2015, whereas ecological–productive space (EPS) and productive–ecological space (PES) reflected a small increase. EPS and PES had squeezed ES and LPS with urbanization and industrial development in this region. Meanwhile, the spatial conflicts of PLES worsened during the period, with the average of the spatial-conflict index (SCI) shifting from 0.283 to 0.522, and seemed to gain momentum. On the basis of scenario analysis for 2030, it was concluded that the "ecological red line policy", appropriate restriction of urban expansion, and ecological management of the bank of the Yangtze River are helpful in alleviating PLES conflicts, and contribute to spatial structure and harmonizing. The results of this study are expected to provide valuable implications for spatial planning and sustainable development in the Yangtze River delta agglomerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production–living–ecological (PLE) space is the basic site of all human activities. The coordinated development of these three spaces is an important prerequisite for achieving sustainable development goals. However, a quantitative assessment of the overall coordination among these three spaces is limited in current research. This paper built an indicator system and a coupling coordination degree model to comprehensively assess the development status of PLE space in China. The statuses of 340 prefecture-level cities across the country from 2005 to 2015 were analyzed. The results showed that the national average first increased from 0.435 in 2005 to 0.452 in 2010 and then dropped to 0.445 in 2015. There was an obvious distribution line between slightly unbalanced cities and moderately balanced cities, close to the famous "Hu Huanyong Line." Most provincial capital cities were between the slightly unbalanced class and barely balanced class. Only Fuzhou in Fujian Province exceeded the barely balanced class in 2015. This paper provides several references for other developing cities to achieve sustainable and coordinated development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to investigate CO2 emissions in the production of coal sources at the prefecture level and to analyze their spatial distribution and regional differences based on the spatial autocorrelation and standard deviational ellipse analysis. The results indicate that Chinese coal production from 2018 will most likely generate 485.23 million tons of CO2 emissions, and there still exists an obvious gap between the five coal development districts in terms of their CO2 emissions. A significant clustering pattern and positive spatial autocorrelation are revealed in the coal production-based carbon emissions in China. In addition, the spatial pattern of coal production-based CO2 emissions has an obvious central tendency and directional trend, and the ellipse direction is quite consistent with the Aihui–Tengchong Line. Our findings suggest that energy policy-makers should be concerned about the carbon emission effect when implementing regional coal development plans and actively guide the formation of a low-carbon spatial strategic pattern of coal production with a directional distribution of CO2 emissions perpendicular to the Aihui–Tengchong Line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper (Cu) is widely used in the swine industry to improve the growth performance of pigs. However, high doses of copper will induce cell damage and toxicity. The aim of this study was to evaluate toxicity, bioavailability, and effects on metabolic processes of varying copper sources using porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) as a model. The IPEC-J2 were treated with two doses (30 and 120 μM) of CuSO4, Cu Glycine (Cu-Gly), and Cu proteinate (Cu-Pro) for 10 h, respectively. Cell damage and cellular copper metabolism were measured by the changes in cell viability, copper uptake, oxidative stress biomarkers, and gene/protein expression levels. The results showed that cell viability and ratio of reduced and oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) decreased significantly in all treatment groups; intracellular copper content increased significantly in all treatment groups; total superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased significantly in the 120 μM exposed groups; SOD1 protein expression levels were significantly upregulated in 30 μM Cu-Pro, 120 μM Cu-Gly, and 120 μM Cu-Pro treatment groups; intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and malondialdehyde (MDA) content increased significantly in 30 μM treatment groups and 120 μM CuSO4 treatment group. CTR1 and ATP7A gene expression were significantly downregulated in the 120 μM exposed groups. While upregulation of ATOX1 expression was observed in the presence of 120 μM Cu-Gly and Cu-Pro. ASCT2 gene expression was significantly upregulated after 120 μM Cu-Glycine and CuSO4 exposure, and PepT1 gene expression was significantly upregulated after Cu-Pro exposure. In addition, CTR1 protein expression level decreased after 120 μM CuSO4 and Cu-Gly exposure. PepT1 protein expression level was only upregulated after 120 μM Cu-Pro exposure. These findings indicated that extra copper supplementation can induce intestinal epithelial cell injury, and different forms of copper may have differing effects on cell metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radiated noise of the centrifugal pump acts as a disturbance in many applications. The radiated noise is closely related to the hydraulic design. The hydraulic parameters in the multistage pump are complex and the flow interaction among different stages is very strong, which in turn causes vibration and noise problems because of the strong hydraulic excitation. Hence, the mechanism of radiated noise and its relationship with hydraulics must be studied clearly. In order to find the regular pattern of the radiated noise at different operational conditions, a hybrid numerical method was proposed to obtain the flow-induced noise source based on Lighthill acoustic analogy theory, which divided the computational process into two parts: computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational acoustics (CA). The unsteady flow field was solved by detached eddy simulation using the commercial CFD code. The detailed flow information near the surface of the vane diffusers and the calculated flow-induced noise source was extracted as the hydraulic exciting force, both of which were used as acoustic sources for radiated noise simulation. The acoustic simulation employed the finite element method code to get the sound pressure level (SPL), frequency response, directivity, et al. results. The experiment was performed inside a semi-anechoic room with a closed type pump test rig. The pump performance and acoustic parameters of the multistage pump at different flow rates were gathered to verify the numerical methods. The computational and experimental results both reveal that the radiated noise exhibits a typical dipole characteristic behavior and its directivity varies with the flowrate. In addition, the sound pressure level (SPL) of the radiated noise fluctuates with the increment of the flow rate and the lowest SPL is generated at 0.8Qd, which corresponds to the maximum efficiency working conditions. Furthermore, the experiment detects that the sound pressure level of the radiated noise in the multistage pump rises linearly with the increase of the rotational speed. Finally, an example of a low noise pump design is processed based on the obtained noise characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the complexity of the energy system and its complex relationship with socio-economic factors, this study adopts the Long-range Energy Alternative Planning (LEAP) model, a technology-based, bottom-up approach, scenario-based analysis, to develop a systematic analysis of the current and future energy consumption, supply and associated Green House Gas (GHG) emissions from 2015 to 2050. The impact of various energy policies on the energy system in Hebei Province was analysed by considering four scenarios: a Reference Scenario (REF), Industrial Structure Optimization Scenario (ISO), Terminal Consumption Structure Optimization Scenario (TOS) and Low-carbon Development Scenario (LCD). By designing strategic policies from the perspective of industrial adjustment, aggressive energy structure policies and measures, such as the ISO and the TOS, and even more aggressive options, such as the LCD, where the percentage of cleaner alternative energy sources has been further increased, it has been indicated that energy consumption will have increased from 321.618 million tonnes of coal equivalent (Mtce) in 2015 to 784.88 Mtce in 2050 in the REF, with a corresponding increase in GHG emissions from 920.56 million metric tonnes (Mt) to 2262.81 Mt. In contrast, the more aggressive policies and strategies involved in the LCD, which combines the ISO with the policy-oriented TOS, can lower energy consumption by 50.82% and CO2 emissions by 64.26%. The results shed light on whether and how these scenarios can shape the energy-carbon emission reduction trajectories and develop the low-carbon pathways in Hebei Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a sensitive technique for the detection of low concentration analytes. In this study, we used cellulose fibers (CF) as the templates for the loading of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), and the obtained CF-Ag was applied in the detection of R6G and Malachite Green (MG) by surface-enhanced Raman scattering. The adsorption technique was employed in the sample preparation, and the optimal detecting status was identified in the dynamic range (sample status ranging from wet to dry) for different concentration of analytes. In comparison to Ag NPs, CF-Ag showed enhanced performance for adsorptive detection of Malachite Green, and the limit of detection was 5 × 10−12 M. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) is an important regulator in the balance between blood clot formation (coagulation) and dissolution (fibrinolysis), which is mainly activated by thrombin bonded with thrombomodulin (TM)., Methods: In this study, the investigation focused on the unique target TAFI of fungi fibrinolytic compound 1 (FGFC1), a novel fibrinolytic compound sourced from the deep sea. In this sense, the regulation of TAFI by FGFC1, in comparison to established TAFI inhibitors such as DS-1040 and PCTI in hPPP, was investigated, which was validated through the molecular docking of FGFC1 to TAFI. The inhibitory effect of FGFC1 on TAFI-mediating coagulation (ex vivo and in vitro) and its fibrinolytic effect (ex vivo) were investigated in hPPP and hCMEC/D3 cells, respectively, followed by SEM., Results: FGFC1 solutions ranging from 0.023 to 0.736 mM effectively inhibited TAFI activation. Notably, the 0.023 mM concentration demonstrated significant suppression, comparable to DS-1040 and PCTI. These inhibitory effects of FGFC1 (0.023-0.368 mM) were further validated through the enhancement in TAFI (TAFIa) activation by fibrins in the coagulum prior to proteolysis, resulting in the cleavage of TAFIa from 33 kDa to 28 kDa. Furthermore, these regulatory effects of FGFC1 on TAFI were demonstrated to have minimal association with TM-mediated control, as confirmed through a molecular docking analysis. FGFC1 (0.023-0.092 mM) was suggested to have obstructive effects on TAFI-mediated coagulation in the hPPP, which was demonstrated by the inhibition of clot aggregation, protein crystallization, and platelet anchoring, as observed through SEM. Simultaneously, FGFC1 (0.023 to 0.368 mM) significantly enhanced TAFI-mediated fibrinolysis, which was also supported by increased levels of t-PA, u-PA, and plasmin., Conclusions: From the above findings, FGFC1 is identified as a novel dual-target bioactive compound participating in blood formation/dissolution that demonstrates anti-coagulation and fibrinolytic effects by regulating TAFI activation, inhibiting TAFIa-fibrin combination, and initiating proteolysis. It also provided convincing evidence that TAFI plays a critical role in thrombolysis as a molecular link between coagulation and fibrinolysis. Furthermore, the application of FGFC1 was indicated as a potential therapeutic strategy in thromboembolic and hemorrhagic diseases.

Tight junctional complexes (TJCs) between cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) are essential parts of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), whose regulation closely correlates to the BBB's integrity and function. hCMEC/D3 is the typical cell line used to imitate and investigate the barrier function of the BBB via the construction of an in vitro model. This study aims to investigate the protective effect of the deep-sea-derived fibrinolytic compound FGFC1 against H 2 O 2 -induced dysfunction of TJCs and to elucidate the underlying mechanism. The barrier function was shown to decline following exposure to 1 mM H 2 O 2 in an in vitro model of hCMEC/D3 cells, with a decreasing temperature-corrected transendothelial electrical resistance (tcTEER) value. The decrease in the tcTEER value was significantly inhibited by 80 or 100 µM FGFC1, which suggested it efficiently protected the barrier integrity, allowing it to maintain its function against the H 2 O 2 -induced dysfunction. According to immunofluorescence microscopy (IFM) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), compared to the H 2 O 2 -treated group, 80~100 µM FGFC1 enhanced the expression of claudin-5 (CLDN-5) and VE-cadherin (VE-cad). And this enhancement was indicated to be mainly achieved by both up-regulation of CLDN-5 and inhibition of the down-regulation by H 2 O 2 of VE-cad at the transcriptional level. Supported by FGFC1's molecular docking to these proteins with reasonable binding energy, FGFC1 was proved to exert a positive effect on TJCs' barrier function in hCMEC/D3 cells via targeting CLDN-5 and VE-cad. This is the first report on the protection against H 2 O 2 -induced barrier dysfunction by FGFC1 in addition to its thrombolytic effect. With CLDN-5 and VE-cad as the potential target proteins of FGFC1, this study provides evidence at the cellular and molecular levels for FGFC1's reducing the risk of bleeding transformation following its application in thrombolytic therapy for cerebral thrombosis.

Increasing concern over the safety of consumable products, particularly aquatic products, due to freshness issues, has become a pressing issue. Therefore, ensuring the quality and safety of aquatic products is paramount. To address this, a dual-mode colorimetric-fluorescence sensor utilizing Ce-MOF as a mimic peroxidase to detect H 2 S was developed. Ce-MOF was prepared by a conventional solvothermal synthesis method. Ce-MOF catalyzed the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) by hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) to produce blue oxidized TMB (oxTMB). When dissolved, hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) was present in the solution, and it inhibited the catalytic effect of Ce-MOF and caused the color of the solution to fade from blue to colorless. This change provided an intuitive indication for the detection of H 2 S. Through steady-state dynamic analysis, the working mechanism of this sensor was elucidated. The sensor exhibited pronounced color changes from blue to colorless, accompanied by a shift in fluorescence from none to light blue. Additionally, UV-vis absorption demonstrated a linear correlation with the H 2 S concentration, ranging from 200 to 2300 µM, with high sensitivity (limit of detection, LOD = 0.262 μM). Fluorescence intensity also showed a linear correlation, ranging from 16 to 320 µM, with high selectivity and sensitivity (LOD = 0.156 μM). These results underscore the sensor's effectiveness in detecting H 2 S. Furthermore, the sensor enhanced the accuracy of H 2 S detection and fulfilled the requirements for assessing food freshness and safety.

Among female oncology patients, cervical cancer stands as the fourth most prevalent malignancy, exerting significant impacts on their health. Over 600,000 women received the diagnosis of cervical cancer in 2020, and the illness claimed over 300,000 lives globally. Curdepsidone A, a derivative of depsidone, was isolated from the secondary metabolites of Curvularia sp. IFB-Z10. In this study, we revised the molecular structure of curdepsidone A and investigated the fundamental mechanism of the anti-tumor activity of curdepsidone A in HeLa cells for the first time. The results demonstrated that curdepsidone A caused G0/G1 phase arrest, triggered apoptosis via a mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, blocked the autophagic flux, suppressed the PI3K/AKT pathway, and increased the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in HeLa cells. Furthermore, the PI3K inhibitor (LY294002) promoted apoptosis induced by curdepsidone A, while the PI3K agonist (IGF-1) eliminated such an effect. ROS scavenger (NAC) reduced curdepsidone A-induced cell apoptosis and the suppression of autophagy and the PI3K/AKT pathway. In conclusion, our results revealed that curdepsidone A hindered cell growth by causing cell cycle arrest, and promoted cell apoptosis by inhibiting autophagy and the ROS-mediated PI3K/AKT pathway. This study provides a molecular basis for the development of curdepsidone A as a new chemotherapy drug for cervical cancer.

Background: The pathophysiologic heterogeneity of heart failure (HF) necessitates a more detailed identification of diagnostic biomarkers that can reflect its diverse pathogenic pathways., Methods: We conducted weighted gene and multiscale embedded gene co-expression network analysis on differentially expressed genes obtained from HF and non-HF specimens. We employed a machine learning integration framework and protein-protein interaction network to identify diagnostic biomarkers. Additionally, we integrated gene set variation analysis, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and transcription factor (TF)-target analysis to unravel the biomarker-dominant pathways. Leveraging single-sample GSEA and molecular docking, we predicted immune cells and therapeutic drugs related to biomarkers. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction validated the expressions of biomarkers in the plasma of HF patients. A two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis was implemented to investigate the causal impact of biomarkers on HF., Results: We first identified COL14A1 , OGN , MFAP4 , and SFRP4 as candidate biomarkers with robust diagnostic performance. We revealed that regulating biomarkers in HF pathogenesis involves TFs ( BNC2 , MEOX2 ) and pathways (cell adhesion molecules, chemokine signaling pathway, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, oxidative phosphorylation). Moreover, we observed the elevated infiltration of effector memory CD4+ T cells in HF, which was highly related to biomarkers and could impact immune pathways. Captopril, aldosterone antagonist, cyclopenthiazide, estradiol, tolazoline, and genistein were predicted as therapeutic drugs alleviating HF via interactions with biomarkers. In vitro study confirmed the up-regulation of OGN as a plasma biomarker of HF. Mendelian randomization analysis suggested that genetic predisposition toward higher plasma OGN promoted the risk of HF., Conclusions: We propose OGN as a diagnostic biomarker for HF, which may advance our understanding of the diagnosis and pathogenesis of HF.

Marine organisms are a rich source of enzymes that exhibit excellent biological activity and a wide range of applications. However, there has been limited research on the proteases found in marine mudflat organisms. Based on this background, the marine fibrinolytic enzyme FELP, which was isolated and purified from clamworm ( Perinereis aibuhitensis ), has exhibited excellent fibrinolytic activity. We demonstrated the FELP with a purification of 10.61-fold by precipitation with ammonium sulfate, ion-exchange chromatography, and gel-filtration chromatography. SDS-PAGE, fibrin plate method, and LC-MS/MS indicated that the molecular weight of FELP is 28.9 kDa and identified FELP as a fibrinolytic enzyme-like protease. FELP displayed the maximum fibrinolytic activity at pH 9 (407 ± 16 mm 2 ) and 50 °C (724 ± 27 mm 2 ) and had excellent stability at pH 7-11 (50%) or 30-60 °C (60%), respectively. The three-dimensional structure of some amino acid residues of FELP was predicted with the SWISS-MODEL. The fibrinolytic and fibrinogenolytic assays showed that the enzyme possessed direct fibrinolytic activity and indirect fibrinolysis via the activation of plasminogen; it could preferentially degrade Aα-chains of fibrinogen, followed by Bβ- and γ-chains. Overall, the fibrinolytic enzyme was successfully purified from Perinereis aibuhitensis, a marine Annelida (phylum), with favorable stability that has strong fibrinolysis activity in vitro. Therefore, FELP appears to be a potent fibrinolytic enzyme with an application that deserves further investigation.